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WWII
J. FRANK DOBIE
AND COLONEL JACK JENKINS
Two Texans
become friends in War-torn England
By
Mel Brown
Photos and Painting courtesy Mel Brown |
| Several
years ago I did a painting to honor the ground crews of the 8th Air
Force in WW II
England titled "Texas Ranger & Friend." It shows a ground crewman
finishing the nose art on a P-38 Lightning named Texas Ranger as it
apeared early in 1944 at Nuthampstead, England. That Lightning was
flown by Lt. Colonel Jack Jenkins, the commander of the 55th Fighter
Group until he was shot down and captured later that April. Col. Jenkins
was originally from DeLeon
in Comanche County
but had retired after thirty years in the Air Force and was living
in San Antonio when
I contacted him during the research phase for the painting. Jack was
credited with the first 8th Air Force P-38 kill of the war, led the
first American mission over Berlin and at the time of his capture
had three aerial victories over Luftwaffe opponents. |
“Texas Ranger
& Friend.”
Painting by Mel Brown, photo courtesy Mel Brown |
While
Jack was fighting the air war over Europe, U T’s inveterately rebellious
Professor J. Frank Dobie was at Cambridge University for a year as
a guest lecturer in American history. In his spare time he traveled
around England frequently and often spent weekends looking for fellow
Texans at the dozens of American 8th Air Force bases dotting the East
Anglia countryside near Cambridge. One Friday he found a fighter base
commanded by an amiable Col. Jack Jenkins and spent the weekend as
his guest at the 55th Fighter Group base at Nuthampstead just up the
road from Cambridge. Jack loaned his personal quarters to the distinguished
Professor that weekend and the two Texans hit it off grandly during
a two day visit.
A few months
later Col. Jenkins was shot down in France while leading a particularly
dangerous, ground attack mission on a Nazi air base and spent the
rest of the war as a POW in Germany. Following his return to Austin,
J. Frank wrote the book that some Dobie scholars consider his best
all around work, A Texan In England. This book is a chronicle
of the year he spent speaking at Cambridge and contains many reflections
on wartime Britain based on his travels there and the people he met.
It is also part treatise on Anglo-American history, relations and
shared heritage and their ongoing battle against Nazi Germany. It
is also a taste of Prof. Dobie’s unbridled love affair with Great
Britain. I recently read again my copy of the enjoyable book since
it is firstly a wonderful work and because my particular copy is quite
special so that just holding it moves me. And here's why. |
| While
working on the Texas Ranger painting, Jack Jenkins and I became friends
and I learned that he was truly an exceptional man and a true American
hero. We had initial conversations at his home in San
Antonio to discuss the art project, then later just visited as
friends. During one of those visits in his office, Jack showed me
the copy of A Texan In England which Professor Dobie had sent
him after the war containing a personal dedication as shown here.
Dobie had mentioned his stay with the colonel in the book although
not by name due to security issues in wartime England. |
|
Dedication
Dear Jack Jenkins ~ Welcome back home! If this book, which I am sending
you, brings back any memory to you from days in England half as pleasant
as your hospitality to me over there comes back to me (see page 184),
then it will be better than Spam. I've thought of you lots of times
and hope that you come to see me in Austin.
Your Friend --- Frank Dobie In Texas
May, 1945 |
| A
few years later following Jack’s passing in 1999, his widow Julie
Jenkins called me to ask that I come by the house on my next trip
to San Antonio. On
that visit Julie gave me Jack's precious copy of the Dobie book per
his wish expressed to her shortly before he passed away. Naturally
it is one of my most treasured keepsakes and now a family heirloom.
Tucked inside the book’s dust jacket were a pair of photographs taken
the weekend when Dobie visited the 55th fighter base in early 1944.
The two images have never before been published or even seen outside
of Jack Jenkins' family until now. About a year ago I visited with
Austin’s much acclaimed author Bill Wittliff whose renowned Dobie
collection is housed at Texas State University in San
Marcos. I presented a framed copy of the images to Bill which
he in turn donated to the Dobie Archives. As some TE readers may know,
Dobie's old Stetson was almost a part of him since he rarely appeared
without it and almost never took it off in public. The historic images
of those two very special Texans together always make me smile as
does reflecting momentarily on the men themselves and the good that
each brought to the world during tumultuous times. |
 |
Prof. James Frank
Dobiewith his Stetson, & Colonel Jack Jenkins
Photo courtesy Mel Brown |
| I hope that this
brief remembrance of my friend Jack Jenkins and his friend J. Frank
Dobie will prompt others to seek out old friends and new ones because
afterall, Texas means friends. Then go find a copy of A Texan in
England and read it. |
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