Kitchen in U. S. Army Barracks

This postcard of the "Kitchen in U. S. Army Barracks" was published by Curt Teich. It is labeled  U. S. Army Cantonment Series No. 68. This seems to be a large general series of postcards illustrating Army life in the World War I era.The postcard does not identify a specific camp or location.

This particular card was mailed from Des Moines, Iowa on November 3, 1918 with a 2¢ stamp. The stamp indicates that the sender apparently was not a soldier who could have mailed the card "free" via Ssoldiers Mail. The message is typical of the type used to fill up space on a postcard without really saying anything:

Dear Raymond: I rec'd your letter and was glad to hear from you. I am well and glad to hear you are the same. I haven't much news to write. Tell all the folks hello for me. I must close as ever your friend. Charlie

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Map: Boston Town

BOSTON, MASS.

Boston was incorporated as a city in 1822. It is a manufacturing and commercial community, but chief interest for the visitor is its historic past dating from the very beginnings of the country.

This postcard was mailed via free soldiers' mail in June 1945. It was sent by Cpl. Merlin Koehn (1914-2000). His serial number was 36233684, and his enlistment record is here.

The 1951 Red Cross Fund

This postcard promoted the 1951 American National Red Cross Fund. Judging by the printing on the back, it seems to have been distributed to military personnel. The image is a sepia copy of an illustration by Norman Rockwell.

The United States and many other countries were involved in the Korean War in 1951. This was a war between North and South Korea, in which a United Nations force led by the United States of America fought for the South, and China fought for the North, also assisted by the Soviet Union. The war arose from the division of Korea at the end of World War II and from the global tensions of the Cold War that developed immediately afterwards. (source: Wikipedia)

In the first video below actress Tallulah Bankhead remembers American Red Cross founder Clara Barton on Easter Sunday, March 25th 1951 and reads a letter of thanks sent to the Red Cross by a soldier wounded in the Korean War.

The next video, One Year in Korea (1951), tells the story of  the 1950-51 United Nations fight against North Korean aggression. I found this video interesting, because I didn't really know anything about the Korean War.

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Stage Door Canteen

 

 

These three postcards advertise The American Theatre Wing Stage Door Canteen and its radio show sponsored by Corn Products Refining Company, producers of dextrose sugar. The artwork is by Barney Tobey, a longtime New Yorker Magazine cartoonist

The original Stage Door Canteen was opened in New York in 1942 by the American Theatre Wing as a center for military personnel to socialize with, be entertained and served by theatrical celebrities. It was staffed by Broadway performers and was in the in the basement of the 44th Street Theatre. The Stage Door Canteen operated for three and a half years and inspired a weekly radio show on the Columbia Network, a 1943 musical film, and a popular song called "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen." Similar canteens were also established in other cities.

The advertising on the backs of these postcards is shown below. One card has the first ad, and two cards have the second ad.

Dextrose sugar is a sweetener derived  from corn starch. During the World War II years it was promoted as All-American. Dextrose: All-American Corn Sugar shows several Life Magazine ads promoting dextrose and describes the promotion effort as follows:

The problem in the 1940s is: how is the corn refining industry going to transform their cheap sugar substitute, something that food processors don’t even want consumers to know they are using, into a desirable commodity? Answer: by using advertising to rebrand Dextrose as the patriotic, scientific, nurturing alternative to that other sweet stuff.

The first video below is a movie clip, and the second is a recording of the song "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen."

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Mail for the Folks at Home & the YMCA in WWI

The YMCA played a big role in providing services for soldiers during WWI. During WWI the YMCA raised and spent over $155 million on welfare efforts for American soldiers and deployed over 25,000 staff in military units and bases from Siberia to Egypt to France. They took over the military’s morale and comfort operations worldwide (source: Wikipedia).

The postcard above shows an Army YMCA truck loaded with mail from soldiers to "the folks at home."  This postcard is unused, but the YMCA postcard below does have a message on the back.

The sweetheart card was sent from Spartanburg, S. C., Wadsworth Br. a few days after the Armistice in November 1918.

Camp Wadsworth served as one of America's premier army mobilization centers from 1917 to 1919. A website  memorializing  the 100,000 soldiers who trained at Camp Wadsworth and the Spartanburg citizens who helped to make the installation a success describes the role of the YMCA in a chapter on Fighting Boredom: Life at Camp Wadsworth:

The United States government considered boredom to be one of the foremost enemies of soldiers in the training camps.  It was feared that a soldier who was not properly entertained and morally educated would succumb to temptations of drink and debauchery.  In order to prevent this, civilian and military officials sought to create a wholesome environment within each training camp that would keep the soldiers both mentally and physically healthy.  The YMCA, YWCA, Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare Board, and the Red Cross were the key agencies in this crusade for morality.  All of these organizations opened up facilities in the training camps, with the YMCA being by far the most important participant.  Government officials hoped that the soldiers would patronize these organizations within the camp instead of visiting the town saloon or brothel.  Alcohol was completely band (sic) within a five mile radius of all training camps.

 Camp Wadsworth's entertainment facilities were typical of World War I era army installations.  Seven YMCA huts were eventually constructed within the camp.  These buildings measured 40x113 feet and could each accommodate 5000 to 6000 soldiers.  The Spartanburg Herald newspaper reported that "Every facility at the command of the Association will be brought to bear on this great problem of serving the men through athletics, indoor games, writing rooms, entertainment of various sorts, religious meetings, Bible classes, etc."  Letter writing and group singing were among the most common activities promoted by the YMCA.

The video below tells about the YMCA in WWI by means of song and vintage images.

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Altar of the Nation

This is a postcard of the Altar of the Nation at Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, New Hampshire. The picture shows Governor Gregg of New Hampshire placing President Dwight D. Eisenhower's wreath at the altar. Roses on the Altar are tributes of every Governor of the 48 States. According to the caption on the back of the postcard, this event took place on Independence Day (July 4) 1953. I wonder whether this caption is correct. This type of event usually takes place on Memorial Day (the last Monday of May), the holiday for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the country's armed forces.

The Cathedral of the Pines was founded in 1945 as a memorial to those men and women who had sacrificed their lives in World War II.  The memorial's mission was later expanded to include all American war dead. The Altar of the Nation was built in 1946. The stones making up this altar come from every state and territory in the United States, and include a stone donated from every U.S. President since Harry Truman. There are also stones from many other significant places.

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Washington Saves His Army at Brooklyn

This 3-cent stamp was issued on December 10, 1951 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn. The central design of the stamp depicts the evacuation of General Washington's troops from Brooklyn at the site of the Fulton Ferry house. General Washington appears mounted on a white horse, directing his troops. A part of the Fulton Ferry house is shown on the right, and in the distant center, troops already embarked are seen crossing the East River.The maximum card was issued by Velvetone with a plain back.

The Battle of Brooklyn, also known as the Battle of Long Island or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was fought on August 27, 1776. It was a defeat for the Continental Army under General George Washington and the beginning of a successful campaign that gave the British control of the strategically important city of New York. In the American Revolutionary War it was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared independence on July 4, 1776. In terms of troop size, it was the largest battle of the entire war British General Howe failed to press the attack, and Washington managed to evacuate all the troops not already killed or captured.(Source: Wikipedia).

This is a post for Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog

A Sailor's Life — 1904

My post has an excerpt from my grandfather's Navy journal. He started the journal when he joined the Navy in 1901, but most of the entries are from 1904 near the end of his service. I am using some WWI era Sailor Comics postcards as illustrations. These are the only four cards that I have from a No. 684 set of 12 designs. I never actually saw this journal, but my sister did and transcribed it. If you are interested, you can read more of the journal on a web page I made, Navy Journal of Frank J. Brennan — 1901-1905.

1904

The cruise of the U.S.S. Annapolis from the Philippines to Frisco.

USS Annapolis (Source: Wikipedia)

I will try and keep a diary of my cruise on the gunboat Annapolis, but this is about my third attempt and I don’t know how I will succeed.

May 16. Transferred to U.S.S. Annapolis from the U.S.S. Wisconsin. This ship is a gunboat of brigantine rig, and it is a great change from a big battleship. Everything is so small and no room to speak of. She has the navy record for gunboats in target practice, the same as the Wisconsin had the record for her class. Just think of making nine hits out of ten shots in five minutes and forty seconds and each projectile weighting eleven hundred and fifty pounds. That was done on the Wisconsin. This ship’s battery consists of six six-inch, four six-pounders, two one-pounders and two Colts automatic. We were transferred at 6 o’clock of this day, and they were making handclasps when we left our old shipmates. The whole ship company manned the rail and gave three cheers for the homeward bounders, which we returned, and they was many a sigh when we seen the last of the Wisconsin.

May 21. Vicksburg, a sister ship of this, left today in company of the Wisconsin and Frolic for Hong Kong. The Frolic used to be Mark Hanna’s yacht, but is now a gunboat. The Vicksburg had her homeward pennant flying, we are also flying a homeward bounder.

May 22. Pumps broke down and we lay here two weeks longer. We should have went with the Vicksburg, but we will meet her at Yokohama, and there we will both leave for home. Got a new first luff (?) today, Miller by name. He relieved Cristy who used to be executive officer, who is now on the Rainbow.

May 23. Rainbow left for Hong Kong. We have plenty work. We took down a sail today and get plenty running boats to man, but we don’t care. We are all short timers aboard, the longest timer has only eleven months to do.

May 24. Steam launch broke down more ____ boats, all kinds of calls, but we don’t have much quarters, plenty of bright work to shine though.

May 25. Been on the Asiatic Station a little over a year, and I am mighty glad we are to leave it, but some of my shipmates has been here for three years. But what do we care, we are all homeward bound, and before many months are up we shall be in Gods Country, my own United States.

Five o'clock is reveille and all hands get up, get some coffee, have a smoke then it is three bells. Three bells is turn to, scrub, and wash clothes, scrub-down your ____, scrub all paint work, 4 bells stop, all scrub and wash clothes on the line, wash down the decks, shine your bright work, and at six bells draw water and wash, and at seven bells all hands are piped to breakfast. This is an every day occurrence, and I only mentioned it in case any one should try to peruse these lines, they will know what happens in the morning

May 27. Steam launch broke down again, and we get plenty of pulling boats, today especially as we are guard ship and I’ve been pulling since this morning in guard boat. Got the phonograph going, whenever we get a chance. Plum duff for dinner: you get very good chow aboard here, better than the flagship.

May 28. Answered a call ashore getting oil, and we all got our feet blistered from the sun being so hot. We of course were barefooted. Got back in time for dinner. Afternoon rigged our main trysail gaff and row (???) in boat . Drill today was aboard our ship.

May 29. Got a very sore leg and a slight fever, feel pretty bad, but we are used to that. Leg all swollen, had it cut in by the doctor, excused from heavy duty.

May 30. Coaled ship and it was so hot we could hardly work, we actually got dizzy so you know it was warm. But we had to knock off at ten, we could hardly stand. We then had lunch, then a little rest, and we went at it again. But we managed to finish, and have the ship cleaned by night.

May 31. Sent (??? Bent? Went???) all sail.

June 1. Got all the sail and sailing gear ready for sea. In the evening, we gave a farewell entertainment to all the ships now laying here. We had a band, plenty of dancing and refreshments, and whoever knew how to dance or sing had to do their turn., And the farewell was voted by everyone to be a thorough success and as each boat, with the men left us, they gave us three rousing cheers which we returned heartily. I forgot to mention that we also took on stores today.

June 2. Secured all boats for sea, got everything ready, and at 4 P.M. the boats’n’s mates piped, all hands up anchor for home. We then weighed anchor, sent a man to the wheel and chains. It reminded me of a little poem, you see it was 8 bells when we got up anchor, here it is

Strikes 8 bells
Relieve the wheel and chains
Oh, won’t we have a jolly time
When we get home again.

We broke our homeward bound pennant, and steamed slowly by the cruiser Frisco and as we did, they manned the rail and gave three hearty cheers for the homeward bounder. Then we manned the rigging, and we returned them as heartily as they were given, for every man aboard here is glad to leave the dust of the Philippines behind him, where you get weather that would kill a horse but not a blue jacket.

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Swiss Choclolate & Anthem

This postcard advertises Cacao Suchard Soluble. It was sent from brother Adolf in Spiez, Switzerland to Eduard at St. Croix in 1903.

Philippe Suchard (9 October 1797 – 14 January 1884) was a Swiss chocolatier and industrialist. By the end of the 19th century, Suchard had become the largest chocolate producer (source: Wikipedia). According to a website on Swiss Chocolate History:

The years between 1890 and 1920 saw a real blossoming of the Swiss chocolate industry, coinciding with the golden age of Swiss tourism. Members of the top echelons of society throughout the world who spent their holidays in Switzerland came to know and appreciate Swiss chocolate, and took its reputation home with them. The initiative of Swiss chocolate producers conquered the world chocolate market between 1900 and 1918. Up to three quarters of Swiss chocolate was exported. Thus "little Switzerland" became a world power in chocolate. Of course, "Swiss chocolate" owed its global reputation not just to the quantities exported, but above all to its quality, which made it stand out above the great amount of chocolate produced in other countries.

The postcard has the words and music for Dem Vaterland. This was the former national anthem of Switzerland. It had semi-official status as the national anthem from the 1850s to 1961, when it was replaced by the Swiss Psalm. Its text was written in 1811 by Bernese philosophy professor Johann Rudolf Wyss. The tune of the anthem was the same as in God Save the King (1745), a tune which became widely adopted in Europe, first as the hymn of Denmark (1790), later also as that of Switzerland, and as that of the United States as My Country, 'Tis of Thee (1831) (source: Wikipedia).

These are the words in German and English:

Rufst du, mein Vaterland
Sieh uns mit Herz und Hand,
All dir geweiht
Heil dir, Helvetia!
Hast noch der Söhne ja,
Wie sie Sankt Jakob sah,
Freudvoll zum Streit!

When you call, my Fatherland,
see us, with hand and heart
all dedicated to you.
Hail unto you, Helvetia!
Who still hast such sons
as Saint Jacob saw them,
going to battle joyously!

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WWI Views of U. S. Army

AERO SQUAD, U. S. AVIATION SERVICE
U. S. MOTORCYCLE CORPS, SHOWING ARMOURED MOTORCYCLE WITH MACHINE GUN

U. S. ARMY MOTOR TRUCKS
U. S. FIELD ARTILLERY READY FOR ACTION

Y. M. C. A. AUDITORIUM
INTERIOR OF Y. M. C. A.

MESS HALL
BATTALION DRILL

MACHINE GUNS READY FOR ACTION
THREE INCH GUN IN ACTION

LOADING A FOUR POINT SEVEN SIEGE GUN
REPAIRING U. S. ARMY FIELD GUN

The twelve views above of the U. S. Army are from a folder postcard that is missing its cover. The folder was probably published by Curt Teich. ( I saw some identical views on individual postcards published by Curt Teich online, but could not find an example of the complete folder.) 

If  the Army views views can be considered "before" images of the horrors of war, the cartoon postcard below can be considered an "after" image. It has a cartoon by Clare Briggs, an early American comic strip artist.  One of his popular comic strips was “Ain't It a Grand and Glorious Feelin'?”. The postcard was provided by the Knights of Columbus Committee on War Activities. It was written by a returning soldier, Pvt. Ed A Warner, to his mother in Minneapolis on May 28, 1919. He wrote "In America at last and feeling fine. Will be home toot sweet."

The postcard was sent via "Soldiers Mail" and postmarked in Newport News, Virginia on June 5, 1919. According to the information on the card, Pvt. Warner had arrived on the U. S. S. Aeolus and was going to Camp Dodge. He was a member of Co. G, Reg. 350th, Div. 88.

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Puget Sound Navy Yard

 

Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington  was established in 1891. It was the first dry dock and repair facility in the northwestern United States capable of handling the largest ships. The postcard above shows the second dry dock at the facility, completed in 1913, with three boats undergoing repair. This dry dock was made of granite and concrete. It was 827 feet long, 145 feet wide, and 38 feet deep.

The next postcard shows a view from the water front of  the Navy Yard and dry dock.

The first two postcards are 1913 views. The third postcard is from a few years earlier, circa 1910. I am not sure whether that is the first or second dry dock. Although the second dry dock was not completed until 1913, ground was broken for it in 1909.

Puget Sound Navy Yard was not strategically located to serve as a repair facility for a war in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1916 the mission of Puget Sound Navy Yard was changed from overhaul and repair work to the construction of new warships. During World War I this Navy Yard built 25 submarine chasers, six submarines, two mine sweepers, seven seagoing tugboats, and two ammunition ships as well as 1,700 small boats.

The Puget Sound Naval Yard has served various roles since then. Today, it is the largest and most diverse shipyard on the West Coast and one of Washington state’s largest industrial complexes.

Source: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, HistoryLink.org Essay 5579

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American Red Cross WWII Railway Station Canteens

The American Red Cross canteens provided services to members of the military during both WWI and WWII. Many of the canteens were in railway stations to serve the soldiers and sailors on the troop trains passing through.

These two postcards show the Red Cross canteens at the two Minneapolis, Minnesota railway stations during WWII. The postcards were furnished through the courtesy of the Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company.

Minneapolis no longer has any railway stations. The Milwaukee Road Station was closed in 1971. At its peak, the station served 29 trains per day. It was not demolished, but it was vacant for many years. Finally, a project to reuse the buildings was begun in 1998 and completed in 2001. The Great Northern Station was demolished in 1978. Passenger train service had declined from a peak of 125 daily trains during World War II to just one route when Amtrak began operation in 1971.

The video below is about the WWII Aberdeen (South Dakota) Railway Station Red Cross Canteen. (Aberdeen is about 275 miles west of Minneapolis).

A couple of my previous posts also dealt with WWII Canteens:

WWII Canteen, North Platte, Nebraska

Chicago Union Station During World War II

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Bonne Annèe - 1915 - Happy New Year

This French New Year postcard from the World War I era is dated 1915. The woman wearing a red Phrygian cap is dressed as either Marianne or Liberty  (apparently the distinction is not always clear), patriotic symbols of the French Republic. Two French soldiers pose ready to charge with swords, while a German soldier plays dead on the ground.

The caption is as follows:

L'ennemi vient dans un éclair
Chargez, soldats, et sabre au clair!

The enemy comes in a flash
Charge, soldiers, and with drawn swords!

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Service Men's Telephone Centers

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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