Bud Walcott at Aylmer (July 1941). INCREDIBLE vintage photographs documenting the mysterious disappearance of American pilot Bud Walcott, who went missing during WW2 only to be later found in Britain, have been unveiled in a new book that uncovers the bare bones of the story. Fascinating pictures show Bud???s future-wife posing in a traditional graduation shot, while another shows the aftermath of the horrific crash of Bud???s Thunderbolt at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, USA. Further images show pilots Ed Tobin, ???Shorty??? Keough and Andy Mamedoff trying out the Eagle Squadron patch. They fought with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain during WW2. The French destroyer Mogador can also be seen after being struck by Royal Navy fire during the attack at Mers-el-Kebir, while the collection also includes an old group photo of 603 Squadron pilots on the deck of the USS Wasp, with Walcott in the back row. The pictures are featured in Bill Simpson???s new book, ???Spitfire Deserters? The American Pilot Who Went Missing???, which is published by Amberley Publishing. Bill???s book questions the reasons that Bud disappeared on April 20 1942, when 47 Spitfire Vs launched from the deck of the American aircraft carrier, the USS Wasp. Bill Simpson / Amberley Publishing / mediadrumworld.com