TERRELL – A Texas resident was honored this week with a prestigious award from King Charles III.
Bill Huthmacher will receive the British Empire Medal in recognition of his work as Chairman of the British Flying Training Museum in Terrell.
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In a statement from the British Consulate-General in Houston, they said, “The British Empire Medal is awarded by His Majesty The King to individuals for achievement or contribution of a very “hands-on” service to the community in a local geographical area. This might take the form of sustained commitment in support of very local charitable and/or voluntary work that has delivered real impact but that is relatively short (three to four years) in duration.”
The museum lies just outside Dallas and honors a little-known chapter of World War II history. Over 2,200 British cadets earned their wings in the north Texas town. Many of these cadets were only 18 years old when they traveled 6,000 miles to learn how to fly.
Terrell, Texas may seem like an odd place for young Brits to learn to fly, but Huthmacher explained the interesting reasoning behind the decision.
“Back in 1941, Germany had overtaken most of Europe and England was in a fight for its life, and it was losing pilots at a catastrophic rate. They were looking for places to help train pilots, because between their own bad weather and the Luftwaffe air superiority, they were having a hard time training pilots. So, they looked to Winston Churchill, looked to Franklin Roosevelt, and at first, Roosevelt couldn’t do anything because we were neutral, and we couldn’t train combatants. But through the Lend-Lease act, that allowed us to then start training combatants.”
Huthmacher said between 1941 and 1945, the young cadets were “adopted” by families in Terrell, forging a strong bond between America and Britain that continues to this day.
Recently, Huthmacher went to England to interview several of these heroes and record their experiences.
“They’re 98 and 99-years-old, and they’re in great shape. We went to the first one expecting to be there about 20 minutes wearing him out. Eight hours later we left his house. And it’s just been tremendous.”
These stories have been added to the museum’s archive, revealing the fascinating personal details behind the artifacts.
Under Huthmacher’s leadership, visitor numbers to the museum have increased by 85%, and several flagship fundraiser efforts have been launched. Ever humble, Huthmacher insists this is a team effort.
“I am honored and I am humbled to have received it. But really, to me, the reward is more of a group reward because it really encompasses the staff here, the volunteers, the people and the companies that support the museum, the people of Terrell. It really encompasses all of them because it takes everybody to move the museum forward the way that we have moved it forward over the past few years, and I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Huthmacher will receive the award about 6 months from now.
For Texan’s wanting to learn more about this unique part of Texas history, more information is available here.
The museum is open Wednesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.