On Dec. 20, 1943, my great-grandfather, William (Bill) Riley and his crew were shot down in Berlin, Germany on their first mission. Soon after, they were captured and became Prisoners of War (POWs) for the rest of World War II. While in the POW camp, the American Red Cross was able to get them mail from their loved ones and other necessities or things to help pass their time, such as notebooks. My grandparents still have one of his notebooks from his time in the camp. In it, he wrote poems and drew pictures. One thing he dedicated multiple pages to was a list of songs. The following is a list of the songs written down by my great-grandfather, a Prisoner of War During World War II.

1. After You’ve Gone – Benny Goodman
2. ‘S Wonderful – Benny Goodman
3. I Must Have That Man – Benny Goodman
4. Freeze and Melt – Eddie Lang
5. West End Blues – Louis Armstrong
6. The Blue Room – Benny Goodman
7. Make Believe – Benny Goodman
8. The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise – Benny Goodman
9. Solo Flight – Benny Goodman
10. Mission to Moscow – Benny Goodman
11. It’s Always You – Benny Goodman
12. Sing, Sing, Sing – Benny Goodman
13. Boogie Woogie – Tommy Dorsey
14. Weary Blues – Tommy Dorsey
15. Cherry – Harry James
16. Jump Town – Harry James
17. Holiday for Strings – Jimmy Dorsey
18. Ohio – Jimmy Dorsey
19. I’ll Be Seeing You – Bing Crosby
20. I Love You – Bing Crosby
21. Do Nothing ‘Till You Hear From Me – Woody Herman
22. By the River of Roses – Woody Herman
23. Shoo Shoo Baby – Jerry Wald
24. Crazy Blues – Jerry Wald
25. Marianne – Kenny Baker
26. Easter Sunday With You – Kenny Baker
27. Ain’t Got A Dime to My Name – Bing Crosby
28. The Road to Morocco – Bing Crosby 
29. My First Love – Jimmy Dorsey
30. When They Ask About You – Jimmy Dorsey
31. For Me and My Gal – Judy Garland
32. When You Wore a Tulip – Judy Garland
33. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition – The Merry Macs
34. Tweedle-O-Twill – The Merry Macs
35. Cow Cow Boogie – Ella Fitzgerald
36. When My Sugar Walks Down the Street – Ella Fitzgerald
37. Now I know – Dinah Shore
38. I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Nite – Dinah Shore
39. Mocking Bird Lament – Dinah Shore
40. Where You Are – Dinah Shore
41. Besame Mucho – Jimmy Dorsey
42. My Ideal – Jimmy Dorsey
43. All of Me – Count Basie
44. Rusty Dusty Blues – Count Basie
45. Dancing Under the Stars – Bing Crosby
46. Palace in Paradise – Bing Crosby
47. Along the Santa Fe trail – Glenn Miller
48. Rhapsody in Blue – Glenn Miller
49. Caribbean Clipper – Glenn Miller
50. Blue Rain – Glenn Miller
51. Oh! Miss Jaxson – Charlie Barnet
52. Washington Whirligig – Charlie Barnet
53. G.I. Jive – Louis Jordan
54. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t – Louis Jordan
55. Dance With a Dolly – Tony Pastor
56. Don’t Blame Me – Shep Fields
57. That Old Black Magic – Horace Heidt
58. If I Cared a Little Bit Less – Horace Heidt
59. Jersey Bounce – Shep Fields
60. Long May We Love – Shep Fields
61. Don’t Believe Everything You Dream – The Ink Spots
62. A Lovely Way To Spend an Evening – The Ink Spots
63. It’s Love Love Love – Guy Lombardo
64. Can’t You Do a Friend a Favor – Guy Lombardo
65. Take It Easy – Guy Lombardo
66. Speak Low – Guy Lombardo
67. Mississippi Dream Boat – Jerry Wald
68. Poinciana – Jerry Wald
69. No Love, No Nothin’ – Judy Garland
70. A Journey to a Star – Judy Garland
71. Flatbush Flanagan – Harry James
72. I’ll Get By – Harry James
73. Dancing in the Dark – Artie Shaw
74. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – Artie Shaw
75. Let’s Just Pretend – Tommy Dorsey
76. I’ll Be Seeing You – Tommy Dorsey