Captain William E. Furniss

Watch the amazing story of this incredible hero. Just click this button

Please follow the link above which will take you direct to our archives where you can view the films. It is a very long film with The Doc giving his commentary from memory. Some of the footage is shaky in places but it is incredible that it is preserved forever.

Please respect The Doc, his family and his original material, it is not to be misused and sold for any personal gain by anybody, that is not what he wished. Our correspondence with him over the years in our archives suggest that the stories be told, the memories kept alive and the 92nd always remembered. This is his gift to the future generations.

Was the flight surgeon in the 327th squadron, assigned in June 1943, ‘The Doc’ was a key member of the 92nd and has been immortalized through his unique and incredibly rare colour film that he shot during his time in England, and later on Istres, France.

His film was developed in full colour by a friend who was stationed at Mount Farm, home to the 7th Photo Reconnaissance Group, 8th AF. The story goes that after the Doc treated his friend for a particularly nasty case of ‘‘social disease’’, as a thank you his friend took the film back to his station and had it developed in colour! How true this is we can only speculate but it’s a wonderful tale and we can only be forever thankful for his friend and his antics!

Over the years the film has been edited and copied, seen by thousands and opened up the 92nd to a vast audience, of which we are forever grateful, but now we are able to present the film from our archives, completely free and tell the stories as The Doc wished, in his own words. Enjoy!

Obituary, William E Furniss

FURNISS, WILLIAM ERNST MARSH, M.D. 90, died 14th July 2002 of multiple myeloma at a Bristol Nursing Care Center.

He was the son of Henry Watson Furniss, M.D. and Anne (Wishmann) Furniss.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Doris (Ireland) Furniss; five children and their spouses, Diane and Richard Happy, Richard Furniss, David and Jerre Furniss, Donald and Jean Furniss and Duane and Stacy Furniss; 12 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren.

He was a flight surgeon with the 92nd bomb group in the 8th army where he was stationed in England for the duration of World War II. While there he took extremely rare action photography. Dr. Furniss flew on some bomb missions into Germany, filming crews as they worked B-17 planes.

He also had one if Bristol’s largest obstetrician-gynecologists practices for 25 years. He also served as the physician for the Burlington School District.

A Burlington resident he oversaw the health district from 1978 to 1996.

He was also a noted rock and mineral collector.