Two automotive body repair shop owners in Stoneville now know a lot more about the deceased World War II pilot for whom they were named.
Robert Upshur Sr. and his son, Robert Upshur Jr., said they knew very little about the pilot, their relative Bob Upshur of Greenwood, before an online conference Friday with the son of one of the pilot’s British Royal Air Force Service friends.
Malcolm Swan’s late father, Dr. John Swan, was a World War II medic for the British Royal Air Force Service, and while serving, he became friends with Bob Upshur.
Malcolm Swan, after discovering a box of photos and diary entries about Upshur that his father had saved, became interested in connecting with Upshur’s family. Swan had a slight lead: Upshur had worked as a sports reporter for the Commonwealth, where his father, Littleton Upshur, was the editor.
Last week, the newspaper ran an article about Swan’s search for the family of the WWII pilot. People called and emailed just trying to help find any relatives from the Upshur family tree. Possible church members, ex-girlfriends and others were noted.
Then, finally, one man came in and said he thought his neighbors could be related to the person in the article. And they were.
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On Friday, the two families held a digital meeting. In addition to Swan, those in attendance were Robert Upshur Sr., 64, and Robert Upshur Jr., 43 — the late pilot’s nephew and grand-nephew, respectively. Swan, 70, who is from England, was speaking from France, where he is living during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Upshurs were in Starkville.
Malcolm Swan shows Robert Upshur Sr. and Robert Upshur Jr. a photo of their ancestor with his fellow RAF soldiers.
“Are you both very tall?” Swan asked with a laugh as he introduced himself. “Dad noted Bob was very tall.”
The Upshurs, who jokingly admitted they both are over 6 feet, got to know Swan quickly and wasted no time asking as many questions as they could, all they ever wanted to learn about their family hero.
All they knew about his life was that Upshur learned to fly in Starkville while at Mississippi State University and shortly after that joined the RAF through Canada.
The only things the Upshur family had of their ancestor’s war history were a single photo in his uniform and his RAF hat, both of which survived a house fire and “many other things,” Upshur Jr. said.
“From what I understood, he could just not wait to get into the war,” Upshur Sr. said. “He worked at the newspaper and knew of everything that was going on and how bad it was. Our side (the United States) was trying to stay out, and he probably thought they should be in and that he should be in it.”
Bob Upshur had three brothers, and from what Upshur Jr. said, he was known as the “wild brother of the bunch.”
Swan said when he was growing up, his father would tell him stories about his friendship with Upshur.
“When I was a tiny little boy, I couldn’t wait to grow up because I thought all you did when you grew up was you flew Spitfires and shot Germans!” Swan joked. “Then in the evening you go to the pub with your girlfriend! What’s not to like?”
He read an entry from his father’s diary.
“Somehow Upshur and I got on to gin and grapefruit in the evening and things became very light-hearted. He is a most likeable chap at all times too. 2 Sept. 1941”
They also laughed about how Upshur, with his slim physique and curly hair, looked just like Bob Dylan.
Soon though, the conversation pivoted as Swan talked about his father’s sadness over Upshur’s passing.
His father spent a year with Upshur, and they grew very close.
“Had a very sad shock on returning to the drone when Guthrie told me Bob Upshur had been killed; hit by flak and went into the Channel. He was my best friend in the RAF and I’ll miss his cheery smile and his 6’4” friendly, almost childish, happy ways. It’s a year today since we arrived in Deben, and went on to Aston Down … and Wallop. Always together. 18 Jul. 1942”
The families discussed how relentlessly Upshur practiced. Swan believes Upshur would practice his low-run flights to keep his own skills sharp and also to provide the anti-aircraft RAF gunners an active target. Swan’s father wrote:
“Then I got my camera and went to five (anti-aircraft weapons) and took snaps of Bob Upshur beating it up at 20 feet. 2 Jan. 1942”
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Learning all this, the Upshurs listened and smiled.
“I feel so pleased to have done this,” Swan said. “Clearly a very, very good bloke, as well as being an out-and-out hero, really. He made friends wherever he went, obviously, and he was very, sorely missed.”
The Upshur family and Swan family have plans to meet again online and discuss their families’ histories more.
“That was really neat,” Upshur Jr. said after the meeting. “That was informative. I can’t believe all the trouble he went through to try and find us.”
Robert Upshur Jr. said he likely is the last with the family name. He has three daughters who are 26, 15 and 13 years old.
Bob Upshur’s name — Robert Alexander Upshur — is listed in the Royal Air Force Chapel at Westminster Abbey as a part of a memorial for those who lost their lives while fighting.
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
• An earlier version of this article included the incorrect city of residence of Robert Upshur Sr. and his son, Robert Upshur Jr.
