Gloria Diane

War Orphan - Adopted

545th Bomb Squadron

The 384th Bomb Group was made up of four bomb squadrons; the 544th, 545th, 546th, and 547th Bomb Squadrons, and each squadron had its own Commanding Officer. The 545th bomb squadron’s Commanding Officer was Captain (later Major) Raymond Paul “Porky” Ketelsen. Ketselsen was an original crew member of the 384th Bomb Group, and he was assigned to the group on 28 December 1942. In addition to being the 545th Bomb Squadron’s Commanding Officer, Ketelsen was also a co-pilot. He flew as co-pilot on the 384th Bomb Group’s first combat mission to bomb the General Motors Plant in Belgium on 22 June 1943 alongside 2 Lt. Richard Thompson Carrington (pilot), and the Inferno crew. Ketelsen also served as Commander on 14 additional combat missions.

Captain Ketelsen, along with First Sergeant George Conner, learned that the unit could adopt a British War Orphan and finance them as they were growing up. After a unanimous vote, the men of the 545th Bomb Squadron decided to proceed. They all voted on their preference for either a boy or girl, and it resulted in a landslide vote for a little girl.

Ketelsen, Conner, and 250 other men from the 545th Bomb Squadron pooled their money together and donated 100 pounds in Gloria Diane’s name. This amount would cover the cost of her education and clothing for five years.

In August of 1943, Ketelsen and Conner visited the Stars and Stripes Orphan Fund Headquarters in London, where they arranged the adoption of a seven-year-old war orphan girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, named Gloria Diane. Her father was killed in the line of duty while serving for the Royal Navy aboard the submarine, "Dauntless". Gloria Diane’s mother was still alive; however, any child in Britain whose father was killed in WWII was considered a war orphan.

The men of the 545th Bomb Squadron treated Gloria Diane as if she were their own daughter. They were thrilled to sponsor her, and they showered her with many gifts, including books, board games, a model airplane, a sewing kit, and a bag of pennies. Gloria Diane was thrilled to receive all of the gifts, especially the bag of pennies, and she told her new friends from the 545th Bomb Squadron that she would be using them to buy a dog “just like Snuffy,” who was the squadron’s mascot.

In September of 1943, Gloria Diane and her mother were invited to Grafton Underwood for a dinner party where they were treated with the same respect and customs as a visiting general would receive. They were also personally escorted around the base in a staff car by Sergeant Connor and Major Ketelsen, who had recently been promoted. That same day, a B-17 was also named Gloria Diane in her honour. Gloria Diane held a special place in the hearts of the men of the 545th Bomb Squadron. It is unknown what happened to her after the war, but she undoubtedly enriched the lives of all who knew her.

Research courtesy of Mikayla Leech on behalf of 384th Bombardment Group Museum.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a welath of information, documents and photographs of their activities during World War 2.