EXCLUSIVE: Son of British woman tells of his desperate search for identity of the dashing military man from Key West who enthralled his mother 80 years ago while American forces fought in World War II

• British-born Louisa Fitzpatrick met a dashing young US airman serving in Britain during WWII
• Fitzpatrick struck up a close friendship with the unidentified  airman and she spoke about him throughout the rest of her life 
• He gave her pictures, not just of himself, but of his three brothers, his parents, even their house in Key West, Florida
• But he can’t remember his name, although he believes it may have been Philip 
• Fitzpatrick passed away eight years ago at the age of 92 and now her son Eric Musgrave, 67, wants to return the pictures to his family

In the dark days of World War II a dashing young US airman serving in Britain met a pretty English girl.

It wasn’t exactly a love story, she already had a boyfriend who was being held prisoner of war by the Germans.

But Louisa Fitzpatrick did strike up a close friendship with the dark-haired airman with the rakish Errol Flynn mustache and talked about him often throughout the rest of her life.

He gave her pictures, not just of himself, but of his three brothers, his parents, even their house in Key West, Florida.

Now eight years after her death aged 92 – and 80 years after American forces arrived in the UK – Louisa’s son is desperately trying to find out just exactly who the man was who meant so much to his mother.

British-born Louisa Fitzpatrick met a dashing young US airman serving in Britain during WWII. The man’s name is believed to be Philip Tupino or Toppino  

Fitzpatrick struck up a close friendship with the dark-haired airman and she spoke about him throughout the rest of her life. She went on to marry Harry Davies in 1945 

The mystery man’s brothers wrote notes to Louisa. One read, ‘To Louise Love Paul.’ Though her name was Louisa, she often went by Louise 

 He also wants to return the pictures to his family. 

‘My mother lived with me for three years before she went into a home,’ said fashion journalist Eric Musgrave, 67. ‘So I kept them when she died.

Fashion journalist Eric Musgrave, 67, is desperately trying to find out just exactly who the man was who meant so much to his mother

‘But I’m now at the stage where I want to declutter my life and my kids have got no interest in these pictures, they would just throw them out, so I would like to get them back to someone who might appreciate them.’

Musgrave remembers his fascination with his mother’s pictures when he was a child, in particular the Florida house, so different from the public housing in a northern English city where he was brought up.

‘It was a big white house,’ he said. ‘I often joked with her ‘Why didn’t you marry him? Then instead of being brought up on a council estate in Leeds, we could have lived by the ocean in Florida.’

‘As a kid in the 1960s I used to look at that big white house, which to me was like something from a Hollywood movie,’ recalled Musgrave, who has traveled widely throughout the States but has never made it to the Sunshine State.

‘The brothers wrote their names on their photos. ”One says To Louise, love Paul” the other says ‘To Louise from Frank and George.’ Though her name was Louisa, she often went by Louise.

‘It just shows how close they must have been that he would give her pictures of his family and he must have told his brothers back in the States about her.

‘Annoyingly though, the pictures of the airman himself don’t have a name on them.’

Musgrave is fairly sure there was just friendship between the two. ‘I have no suggestion that they were ever romantically involved.’ He believes she was staying faithful to her boyfriend, Harry Davies, who was locked up in Stalag XX-B in German-occupied Poland after being captured at Dunkirk.

‘But he was clearly very keen on my mother. The pictures he gave her were expensive, studio-shot portraits.’

Musgrave believes the man’s name may have been Philip. From what he can remember his mother telling him, his last name was Tupino or Toppino.

The mystery man gave Louisa pictures, not just of himself, but of his three brothers, his parents, even their house in Key West, Florida

‘As a kid in the 1960s I used to look at that big white house, which to me was like something from a Hollywood movie,’ recalled Musgrave, who has traveled widely throughout the US but has never made it to Florida

One of the mementoes was a menu of a 1944 Christmas dinner at RAF Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire

‘I wish I had pushed her more when she was still alive, but her memory wasn’t always the best.

‘I can’t even think where I have got the name Tupino from but it was in the back of my head somewhere.’

Musgrave knows the mystery airman was attached to the Eighth Air Force and he believes he was based in eastern England

He knows the mystery airman was attached to the Eighth Air Force and he believes he was based in eastern England. Louisa, who joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force at the outbreak of war, was based nearby.

One of the mementoes was a menu of a 1944 Christmas dinner at RAF Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire.

‘I am not totally sure that is where she was based, but she must have been at that dinner.’ The menu hardly showed the privations of wartime, boasting roast turkey, roast and creamed potatoes, stuffing, apple sauce, Brussels sprouts and gravy, followed by Christmas pudding and brandy sauce.

‘She told me her job was to check the spark plugs for the Royal Air Force. Every day, just checking spark plugs.

‘She claimed that they’d take her up in the air once a year to prove the point that it was important work and what would go wrong if they didn’t check enough.

‘I’m not sure that’s true though. My mother had a vivid imagination.’

Some pictures in the collection show crooner Bing Crosby entertaining the troops in an aircraft hangar as part of a four-month tour he undertook in 1944.

‘I was brought up on all these stories about the war,’ said Musgrave who now lives near Berwick-on-Tweed on the English side of the border with Scotland.

‘I was born in 1955, long after the conflict had ended and the thousands of what she called Yanks had returned home,’ said Musgrave, ‘But I was raised with lots of stories about what a great time my mother had had during what we usually think of the dark days of war.

‘We always think of the war as such a grim time in England, but she said she just got on with it and I see these pictures and it seems they did have some fun jitterbugging with friends.’

‘I hope that someone recognizes the people on the photographs or even the house,’ Musgrave said. ‘It is a very long shot, but it might be that one of the brothers is still alive. I’d love to send these photos home’

Some pictures in the collection show crooner Bing Crosby entertaining the troops in an aircraft hangar as part of a four-month tour he undertook in 1944

After the war was over Louisa lost touch with her American friend. Harry Davies was freed and they married in the fall of 1945 and had two daughters

Musgrave said his mother always had fond memories of her time in the WAAF. He took her to see the 1990 movie Memphis Belle about the Eighth Army and its flying fortress plane, and she picked holes in its accuracy.

After the war was over Louisa lost touch with her American friend. Harry Davies was freed and they married in the fall of 1945 and had two daughters.

But Davies’s years in the German prisoner-of-war camp took a heavy toll on his health and he died in the early 1950s. She went on to marry Eric Musgrave Sr., who died in 1995.

‘My mother was a remarkable woman who had a remarkable life,’ said Musgrave. ‘She had a real zest for life and always had lots of friends.

‘During the war she had many American pals. I want to honor her memory and the memory of the thousands of young airmen who did not make it home by returning these lovely photographs to her friend’s family.

‘I hope that someone recognizes the people on the photographs or even the house. It is a very long shot, but it might be that one of the brothers is still alive. I’d love to send these photos home.’

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