Citizen Staff/Amanda Lutey
Historian Jay Williams holds dog tags belonging to Wayne C. Williams, who served in the 8th Army Air Corps during World War II. His dog tags were found in a field near an airbase in Norfolk, England and will soon be returned to his son, Rick.
CAMBRIA — Two British men, Stan Atkinson and Bob Hargreaves, spend Sunday afternoons searching fields near where they live in Thetford, England with metal detectors.
On previous searches, they’ve unearthed belt buckles, a hat badge, dog tags belonging to British service men and more. One Sunday in August while searching near Knettishall, a World War II airbase, one discovered a Roman buckle with a pin and the other found a set of American dog tags.
Atkinson cleaned the dog tags and discovered they belonged to a Wayne C. Williams. The tags listed Williams’ serial number, next of kin, and his hometown — Cambria, Wis.
Atkinson typed Cambria, Wis., into a search engine and was directed to the Web site for the village of Cambria. He e-mailed village clerk Lois Frank, who put him in touch with historian Jay Williams.
Jay Williams, who is not related, used the name of Wayne C. Williams’ next of kin, his father Clifford, to find out what happened to Wayne. He found Clifford Williams’ obituary from 1964, which listed Wayne Williams as living in Ohio with his wife and four sons. Wayne C. Williams was the only son of Clifford and his first wife, Elizabeth. Wayne Williams graduated from Cambria High School in 1936.
“Wayne’s cousin was Fay Lockhart,” said Jay Williams, “Who is now Fay Miller, living in Middleton.”
Jay Williams contacted Miller, who put him in touch with one of Wayne’s sons, Rick Williams, living in Oxford, Mich. He learned that Wayne Williams has died, but also heard some family history.
Wayne Williams met his wife, Irene, at a USO dance in St. Louis. They married before he was shipped out. He was serving in England in the 8th Army Air Corp in 1944.
Jay Williams said he has stayed in touch with Atkinson, who was happy to learn that Wayne Williams had survived the war and had a family, and that the dog tags would be returned to his family.
“The world would be a different place if not for men like Wayne,” Atkinson wrote.