THE son of a Burtonwood Airbase veteran is hoping to trace the location of a cottage in the town as part of his search for answers.

Paul Loftus, from Texas, lived with his family in Merridale Cottage in Burtonwood between December 1951 and January 1952.

The 69-year-old, whose dad was a career officer in the U.S. Air Force, said: “The reason why I’m looking for Merridale Cottage is to fill in the blanks as I work on the family history. 

“I started in 1992 and have found my Loftus family origins around Wolverhampton with living cousins in Cannock.

“I have the Loftus line back to mid-1750s in Birmingham.”

Paul can remember vividly his time spent in Burtonwood after his dad Robert Loftus was moved to the site which was the largest US airbase in Europe.

He said: “My brother can’t believe that I can remember the smallest details of our childhood. 

“We were in Merridale Cottage for more than a month but I can remember that if I went out the front door and turned right, there was a stream or river at the end of the road. 

“We then moved into base quarters – number 58 – where we stayed for a year and a half. 

“There was a small stream nearby where I would catch frogs. 

“I was restricted to the house one day when dad came home from work early and saw me down by the stream. 

“I ran back to the house expecting a spanking but received one heck of a lecture. 

“Years later when I was a young teen, we talked about that incident. 

“He had realised at that time I was an independent lad just as he was – like father, like son.

“It was during our stay at Burtonwood that my parents came home with a boxer puppy called Yankee Doodle Tason.”

Following an assignment near London, the family returned to America in June 1954.

Paul, who also joined the US Air Force alongside his brother, is hoping to find the exact location of Merridale Cottage.

To help Paul during in his search email msgtpaule7@gmail.com.