Thread by @mrdanwalker

Just met an amazing man in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield. Tony Foulds was an 8-yr-old playing in the park when a US plane crashed in Feb 1944. He has diligently maintained the memorial ever since. He was planting new flowers. Almost 75 yrs of service. What a man. I’m in bits 😢👏🏻

He’s been sweeping the leaves away all morning and has replanted and cleaned the whole thing. He re-told the story of the day so vividly and knew the names of all 10 who died. “They are like family to me even though I never knew them” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Right... I’ve been back to talk to Tony. He doesn’t want a medal. All he wants is a fly-past on the 75th anniversary on the 22nd Feb 2019. Can anyone help? Who has contacts in the Royal Air Force or Red Arrows?

Tony has also had Parkinson’s disease for the past 21 years. He couldn’t even get his phone out of his pocket this morning because of the shakes but still sweeps, cleans and tends the memorial. Let’s mark his 75 years of service with something special.

Right then @SheffCouncil ... what are we planning? I’m sure many people have stories to tell.

Does anyone know how much a fly-past by the @rafredarrows costs? I know I’m asking the impossible here but... how much money do we need to raise? Who do I need to get in contact with? @RAFRed1 @RAFRed10

Just spoken to Tony again. Going to see him tomorrow to talk about the crazy response. The wheels are in motion. Thank you for all your support
#GetTonyAFlypast

If you are following this... I’m now in contact with the RAF and the US embassy in the UK. Hopefully we can make something happen #GetTonyAFlypast

Met up with Tony again who is genuinely staggered by the response. You’ll be able to see his story on #BBCBreakfast tomorrow. The to do list has increased...
1 #GetTonyAFlypast
2 He’d love to get some tarmac on the memorial steps so #GetTonySomeNewSteps
Determined to sort 4 him

Tony said he still feels guilty because if he hadn’t been in the park that day the plane could have landed safely. Instead the pilot avoided the children and crashed into the hill. “I owe them my life. Their sacrifice gave me everything. I love them as much as my own children” ❤️

Thanks for all your messages about the #BBCbreakfast piece with Tony. It’s on again at 750 & 850 in case you missed it #GetTonyAFlypast
I’ll post it on here later too 👍🏻

Lots of people asking how they can help. The thing that would mean the most to Tony would be to come to the 75th anniversary on 22nd Feb. That would mean the world to him. He genuinely doesn’t want recognition. He just wants the men who saved him to be remembered #GetTonyAFlypast

I’m going to call Tony later and tell him that #GetTonyAFlypast is trending. He’ll have no idea what that means but we are moving in the right direction 👏🏻😂
#BBCbreakfast

Have spoken to Tony who got a round of applause when he went for his breakfast in Sheffield market today 👏🏻❤️
I’ve just told him the good news that @Ameyplc have agreed to redo the memorial steps and tarmac the path. THIS IS AMAZING!
#GetTonySomeNewSteps ✅
#GetTonyAFlypast🤞🏻

I have no idea how this crazy thing with Tony will end but can I just say ‘thank you’ 4 all the wonderful comments & to the 100s of people who have offered to help. I know Tony is totally staggered by it and has been hugged by completely random people today - which is beautiful.

I was in a rush walking my dog the other day and saw a lovely old man picking up leaves who looked cold. I’m so glad I stopped for a chat and heard one of the most heart-warming stories of my life. It makes me think how many others have amazing tales to tell.

I didn’t have any New Year’s resolutions but I do now. I am going to try and listen more. I don’t want to get all emotional about this but Tony has reminded me that - despite all the guff in the news - there are many amazing people quietly doing amazing things.

I - and a whole raft of my colleagues at #BBCbreakfast - have become obsessed with helping Tony and trying to make sure his years of silence service don’t go unnoticed. We will #GetTonyAFlypast we will #GetTonySomeNewSteps and we will be LIVE in the park on the 75th anniversary

So many people have asked me if they can #TurnUpForTony on the 22nd Feb. I’ll let you know the details when it’s all confirmed. We have the opportunity to be part of an amazing day for a fella who has dedicated most of his life to remembering 10 men he never met. 🤞🏻for a ✈️ too

On a lighter note... for those asking... our dog is called Winnie. She’s a cockerpoo and ‘no’ I don’t always match my shoes to her 😂
Winnie also wants to #GetTonyAFlypast ✈️

This is all getting bonkers. In the last 24 hours I’ve spoken to 2 MPs, the US Embassy, the head honchos at the @usairforce from @RAFLakenheath1 and now @AOC_1_Group who is a Air Vice Marshall and appears to be in charge of the sky 😳
Not there yet but🤞🏻🤞🏻#GetTonyAFlypast ✈️

Apologies I meant @48FighterWing who have been brilliant. Everyone has been brilliant. I think we might need catering 😂 @GreggsOfficial... have you got any of those sausage rolls going spare? We need a job lot for 22nd Feb in Sheffield 👍🏻

It’s truly amazing that so many people are engaged in this. Here’s a reminder of what it’s all about. Tony Foulds was 8 when a US plane crashed in Sheffield in 1944. He was in the park and has remembered the 10 crew members ever since
#GetTonyAFlypast
This is part 1...

The pilot of the B17, Lt John Kriegshauser, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for minimising loss of life. They were returning from a bombing raid & witnesses said they circled the park b4 avoiding the children & crashing into the tree-filled hill
Part 2...

These are the names of the 10 men onboard that day... the men who Tony will never forget:
Lt John Kriegshauser (Missouri) - pilot
2nd Lt Lyle Curtis (Idaho) - co-pilot
2nd Lt John Humphrey (Illinois) - navigator
Melchor Hernandez (California) - bombardier
Continued...

Harry Estabrooks (Kansas) - engineer & gunner
Charles Tuttle (Kentucky) - gunner
Robert Mayfield (Illinois) - radio operator
Vito Ambrosio (New York) -gunner
Malcolm Williams (Oklahoma) - gunner
Maurice Robbins (Texas) - gunner

They were all aged between 21 & 24. Lyle Curtis’ wife was expecting a daughter. Vito Ambrosio’s wife had spent a single day with her husband before he left.
Tuttle, Estabrooks & Robbins still lie at Madingley cemetery in Cambridgeshire along with nearly 4000 other US servicemen.

Covering a football match today but these 2 (and many others) were desperate to talk about Tony. John Johnson & his daughter Nicki. John was also an 8-year-old in Sheffield in 1944 and remembers the B17 crash vividly - he lived next to Endcliffe Park. Incredible #GetTonyAFlypast

What is happening? My phone is going crazy. Just been through my emails and messages. I’ve had over 600 offers of help or support for Tony so far 👊🏻
Not sure what to do with them all. They are coming from all over the world! I need to call Tony again. He won’t believe this 👍🏻

This from @scottjones31 has done me in:
Dan, walked through endcliffe park with mum yesterday afternoon. Lovely to see a diverse audience greeting and warmly listening to Tony. Small crowd was forming, all eager to pay their respect. He sounded proud & looked well
#TurnUpForTony

Today’s conversation with Tony... keep in mind that he hardly uses his phone and can’t text, write, use social media or a computer because of his severe tremors. He hasn’t even seen the coverage on TV...

Tony: (laughing) Dan, what have you done?
Me: What do you mean?

Tony: I’ve been stopped in the street, on the bus, all over the place. I’ve had no visitors for years at the memorial and today there were hundreds!
Me: I put it on social media Tony... lots of people have seen it. They are reading it all over the world
Tony: Really?
Me: Yes

Tony: Well, they came from everywhere. There was a proper crowd... all day. I had 2 kids with backpacks from America, some soldiers and even someone all the way from Newcastle. I can’t believe it. People were talking about a flypast and crying.
Me: What did they ask you Tony?

Tony: Dan is was crazy. I’ve never talked so much. They asked me all about the memorial and being on telly. They were shaking my hand. I had to tell them I hadn’t even seen it ... I told them I just spoke to a bloke with a dog (laughs).
Me: How long were you there?

Tony: Got there at 9 and left at 2. Hardly got any work done. Some of them even said I should get an MBE! (laughs his head off)
Me: What did you say?
Tony: MBE? Me? Don’t be daft! They’re for heroes.
And that’s why Tony is amazing. He has no idea about the impact he’s having ❤️

He’s so absorbed in serving the memory of those US airmen and maintaining the memorial that he genuinely can’t see how he is inspiring others. I love the fact that thousands of people are talking about this wonderful 82-year-old and he has no idea 👏🏻

I told him I’d had over 600 messages and emails from all over the world and he said “from you”? 😂😂
I can’t wait to see his face if people really do #TurnUpForTony on the 75th anniversary on February 22nd. If we pull off the flypast... well... WOW🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻#GetTonyAFlypast

Lots of people asking about how to find the memorial. Get to Endcliffe Park, Sheffield. You can park on Rustlings Road. Face the @ENDPARKCAFE, go past the funfair and over the stepping stones. The memorial is just through the trees 🙏🏻🇺🇸
Chances are, you’ll find Tony there too 👊🏻

Worth mentioning too that if stepping stones aren’t your thing or you might struggle to get over them, there are also paths that go around the children’s playground on the right and the bridge on the left which take you to the memorial to those 10 US airmen. Have a great day.

So many people asking how to help. I know Tony would love to get a flagpole. He has bought 3 US flags recently and they’ve all been stolen because he can’t get them high enough.
So, if you want to help... come on twitter... do your thing #GetTonyAFlagpole
Let me know 🇺🇸👍🏻

I might have to start a new thread soon but I’ll leave you with this picture from @Liam_G_Hull.
Here is Tony, after years of silent service, telling just some of the people who visited today the story of the 10 men who saved his life on February 22nd 1944. Happy New Year 👍🏻

Hiya. If anyone is still following this thread... still waiting for comfirmation of whether we can #GetTonyAFlypast but we will have a chance to #RememberTheTen on the 75th anniversary in the park on February 22nd between 8 and 9:30. We’ll be live on #BBCbreakfast
#TurnUpForTony

Amazing scenes in Endcliffe Park today... Tony was being interviewed by @CBSNews and a lovely bunch of volunteers have turned up to paint the fence around of the memorial: Jon, Julie, Martine, Doug, Graham & David 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #TurnUpForTony

Something quite incredible happened in the House Of Commons today and it was nothing to do with #Brexit. @LouHaigh asked a question and @andrealeadsom answered... #TurnUpForTony #GetTonyAFlypast 👏🏻✈️👌🏻

Great news. Thanks to @SheffCouncil & @Ameyplc there is a new plaque at the Endcliffe Park memorial and the new steps go in next week 👏🏻👏🏻
So #GetTonySomeNewSteps ✅
Still working on that flypast 🤞🏻