May 13, 1943 – Merton's War Diary

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In 1943 and 1944,  my Grandfather Merton Young traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Company.  He wrote a brief diary of his journey and this is a piece of that story.

May 13, 1943

Was put on a train at Grand Central Station, to Boston on to a dock where several hundred soldiers had just finished having coffee and doughnuts by the Red Cross and boarded a ship with a band playing.  The Red Cross and band left, and 342 civilians went on to the ship alphabetically, so I was next to last and ended up with a life jacket, gas mask and a canvas cot next to the ceiling on the lower deck below the water line. with three cots underneath. I met several civilians that I had worked with in Trinidad while on the train.

During the war, the American Red Cross had numerous ‘Club Wagon’s to which it served Doughnuts to the troops.  This apparently happened all over the place.  There is a great interview from 1994 in the Baltimore Sun of a woman named Katharine Heuisler who used to help ‘Sugar Up the Troops’. [Link]

"Doughnut Dolly"

“Doughnut Dolly”

The photograph is NOT of Katharine but it is Elizabeth Williams. “Elizabeth Williams holds a doughnut out to the hands of flyers returning from bombing runs at an American Red Cross clubmobile in southern Italy in 1943. The photo is a classic depiction of a Red Cross “Doughnut Dolly.” ¹

When I was younger I had heard more stories that he was in Trinidad and Tabago but sadly I had not paid attention.  I would venture to guess that he had a much better experience there as he spoke of it more often.  I believe he was there building homes though I really do not know when. I feel from the context of this diary that it may have been earlier in the war.

It seems as if there was a base built there in 1940 – 1941 to fend off the German U Boats.  Perhaps he had something to do with that.

Next Entry: May 14, 1943

¹ Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project, Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA. [Link]

May 12, 1943 – Merton's War Diary

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In 1943 and 1944,  my Grandfather Merton Young traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Company.  He wrote a brief diary of his journey of which this is a piece.

May 12, 1943

Had tools inspected and sealed by custom officials.

Well I know that my grandfather was a carpenter so I have to assume at the moment that these tools would include hammers, saws, screwdrivers, tape measures and the like.  It may have included some power tools as well such as a drill or saw.

I found this 1940’s vocational film from Iowa State College about the trade.

Family rumor says that Merton was in Greenland building some sort of structure which according to the above video would be ‘rough carpentry.’  I would think that just doing that in Greenland would be rough indeed.

image

I do know that he did more than build structures as I still have a chess board which he made by hand which I treasure to this day.

Next entry, May 13, 1943

May 11, 1943 – Merton's War Diary

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In 1943 and 1944,  my Grandfather Merton Young traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Company.  He wrote a brief diary of his journey of which this is a piece.

May 11, 1943

Got passport renewed and was questioned by the F.B.I. on the street.

I would love to know what these questions were that he was asked.  It sounds so shady and confidential but I am sure it was the mundane general questions agents would ask at the time.  Do you speak German?  Have you ever been to Germany?  What about the Pacific? and the like.

Times Square on a Rainy Day 1943 - John Vachon

Times Square on a Rainy Day 1943 – John Vachon

Next Entry – May 12, 1943

May 10, 1943 – Merton's War Diary

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In 1943 and 1944,  my Grandfather Merton Young traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt- Chapman-Scott Company.  He wrote a brief diary of his journey of which this is a piece.

May 10, 1943

Went to Westerly, got release from job there, picked up tools and took train to N.Y.

Reported to office, got typhoid shots, tetanus shots, measured for clothes and put up in the King Edward Hotel.

from http://www.railarchive.net/

Today it takes from 3 hours, 40 min to almost 5 Hours to get from Boston to New York via rail and by plane, just over an hour (ish.)  A 1940’s timetable lists the rail travel to be between 5 and 7 hours.

Next Entry: May 11, 1943

May 9, 1943 – Merton's War Diary

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In 1943 and 1944,  my Grandfather Merton Young traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt- Chapman-Scott Company.  He wrote a brief diary of his journey of which this is a piece.

May 9, 1943

Received telegram telling me to report in company office next morning

Almost three weeks from Merton’s initial trip to New York he had moved from the waiting list to the – we will see you tomorrow list.  I would imagine that any nerves he may have felt were washed away by how quickly he needed to report in New York the very next day.  My father would have been 10 years old, and his sister 15.  I am sure my Grandmother Doris cooked something spectacular for dinner that night.

Next Entry: May 10, 1943

It's not the when, but the who.

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When I inherited my Grandfathers genealogical research oh so many years ago, my one thought and goal was to find the earliest relatives I could.  Digging into the past was fun.  Watching the timeline tick back to the 1800’s, 1700’s the 1600’s and then…  into the brick wall. It didn’t matter though as there were other branches to follow.

As I kept searching and learning more about all the different records, I began to see little bits of information here and there that began to intrigue me more than just when someone was born.

I find my ancestors street addresses listed on the census and in other city directories fascinating.  I will use street view on google to see what is there now, realizing of course that city plans change over time.

Sue and I were in Philadelphia once and drove to the neighborhood where my Mother’s Grandfather lived when he first came over from Hungary.  We were definitely on the wrong side of the tracks in today’s day and age, evidenced by the strange woman speaking in tongues at us (or was that Hungarian?)  Well lets just say that it made us glad we were only passing through.  I have always loved maps and my list of research projects include looking at older city and town maps to see where people lived.

The bit of information that I find most intriguing though also can be found on census records (as well as many other places,) and that is ‘Occupation.’

occupation

My Family has done a lot.  There is a Postmaster, a Butcher and a Baker but no Candlestick maker as of yet.  There are several Carpenters, Home Makers, Farmers, and even a Fireman.  What must it have been like to be a fireman in 1916?

Imagine stepping back into their shoes and into their daily lives, pondering what drives them forward.  This is the information for me that brings a person to life and that is the magic which I seek.

Happy Hunting

April 20, 1943 – Merton's War Diary

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In 1943 and 1944,  my Grandfather Merton Young traveled to Greenland while working for the Merritt- Chapman-Scott Company.  He wrote a brief diary of his journey of which this is a piece.

April 20, 1943

Went to New York and signed up with Merritt-Chapman-Scott for work.  I was told that no more men were needed but they would take my application and put me on the waiting list.

I was fingerprinted, had a small-pox vaccination, blood test, physical exam including eyes and ears.

Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation

According to Wikipedia – Merritt-Chapman & Scott, nicknamed “The Black Horse of the Sea”, was a noted marine salvage and construction firm of the United States, with worldwide operations. They were founded in the 1860’s and continued operations up until 1970.

Next Entry: May 9, 1943