This postcard was furnished for the use of service men at a telephone center at Camp Grant in Illinois. It has the following description on the front of the card:
This Telephone Center is like one I visited today. Because copper for new wire has gone to war, existing lines are crowded with war calls. So telephone operators and a manager are here at Camp Grant to help get our calls through. That's why it's easier for me to call you than for you to call me.The soldier who sent this postcard was named Paul C. Muehl. His Army enlistment information can be found here. The postcard was mailed "Free" with a sweet message of love on the back:
Dearest Nancy:
Just finished talking to you and your voice was so sweet to hear again. Honey, please love me back as much as I love you, will ya?
Love, Paul
This postcard was mailed on August 11, 1945. By that time, WWII was just about over. The end of war in Asia occurred on August 14 and 15, 1945, when armed forces of Japan surrendered to the forces of the Allied Powers. That surrender came just over three months after the end of war in Europe.
When I searched the internet for other WWII telephone centers, I was surprised to find a "twin" for my army postcard. I am showing the two cards together below. Everything is the same on the two cards except for the uniforms that the men are wearing and the name of the base. Great Lakes is a Naval station, also in Illinois.
Below I have a 1943 photo from the Library of Congress of the telephone room at the United Nations service center, Washington, D.C. It looks like all the women in this photo and on the postcards have the same hairstyle.
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22 comments:
Absolutely fascinating. Both sides of your card provide such a perfect feel of the time it was printed and used. You are left wondering how so much history can be wrapped up in such a little sliver of pasteboard.
I like to believe that Paul and his dearest Nancy met again after the war.
Judging by the two similar postcards I assume there must be third one with Air Force uniforms.
Having been born after WWII, the telephone centers are a new facet of wartime for me. Interesting history! I love that you found a twin postcard, and the message is indeed so sweet.
Very cool "twin" postcards! I love the old wartime cards and I especially like the sentiment on the card, "Honey, please love me back as much as I love you." How sweet!
The guy at the Washington centre seems to be shooting a line. The two cards make you wonder whether there was something akin to photoshop at the time.
What a great set of postcards of an aspect of war which can be overlooked.
Fascinating postcards. Essentially saying 'don't call us, we'll call you'?
Those telephone operators sure performed a needed service during the war. Let's hear it for them.
Nancy
The telephone centers are new to me as well. Fascinating take on this week's theme as always!
I never knew about Service Men's Telephone Centers! This is one of the things I love about Sepia Saturday -- I always learn something!
Always learn something new and interesting! Wonder what happened to Paul and Nancy? He sounds like a sweet guy.
Never thought of them having telephone centres in WW2. I wonder how many varieties of these cards they produced. Such a sweet message on yours.
Fascinating postcards and photo!
I feel so badly for poor Paul! It sounds like Nancy may not have been as in love with him as he was with her.
Hope it all ended happily ever after.
That's a strange idea, that the military would authorize a postcard (in two flavors!) that essentially said, "Don't call me, I'll call you." How many servicemen sent this card but unlike Paul, never intended to make that phonecall.
What a marvelous line- please love me back as much as I love you! Too cute!
While those hairdos look a little cliché, perhaps they were the most convenient to wear those headphones and still look pretty...
Was it a requirement in the hiring process?!?
:D~
HUGZ
Such a tender and hopeful message.
As to the two cards with the different uniforms. I'm imagining the base art showed the men without clothes, incomplete bodies. The uniforms were then probably done as acetate overlays. People forget how complicated art like this used to be.
Such a tender and hopeful message.
As to the two cards with the different uniforms. I'm imagining the base art showed the men without clothes, incomplete bodies. The uniforms were then probably done as acetate overlays. People forget how complicated art like this used to be.
something else I never knew about as with most of the posts this week, a service call center. A great story from the "love cards." Long ago when phone calls were much more complicated. Interesting
These postcards are unveiling a detail of history I’ve never heard of before. How I love that!
He sounds a bit needy to me. I'll bet she married someone else!
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