The ripples from a stone dropped in the water keep expanding...I recently arranged a visit to Etobon for a British historian, who sent me a picture of a military bracelet from an American soldier. The bracelet is in the possession of one of the Etobon families who helped hide escaped POWs (see the Etobon Project journal for more background). The bracelet had his name and serial number engraved plainly on its central link. A bit of research uncovered the fact that James Melvin Nichols enlisted in Texas, that he was captured in the North Africa/Italy theater, imprisoned (probably) in Epinal, France by the Germans, escaped and was hidden at Etobon, then was recaptured by the Germans and imprisoned in Germany and returned to the American military at the end of World War II.
What happened to James Melvin Nichols after that? Did he return to Texas? Marry and have children? Are there children or grandchildren searching for information about him? If so, I'm posting this photo in the hope that they will find it.
