In The Service Now-This Day In Norwood History-February 19, 1943

Graduated with hundreds of fighter and bomber pilots in Class 43-B, the largest class ever turned out by the Army Air Forces Gulf Coast Training Center, with headquarters at Randolph Field, Texas, was Lieut. John P. Mogan, 85 Casey Street, Norwood. Graduation was on Tuesday, February 16th.
Graduates were divided among nine advanced flying training schools in Texas Lieut. Mogan was from Ellington Field, Houston, Texas.

All received pilots wings and some were commissioned second lieutenants, while others were appointed to the recently created rank of flight officer in ceremonies at the respective fields.

Terrence Barrett, U S. Coast Guard, has been transferred from Portland to Gloucester.

Edmund Mulvehill, Cottage Street, is training in Nashville, Tennessee, as an aviation cadet.

Sergeant James Kelley, son of Mr and Mrs Abraham Kelley of 14 St George Avenue, Norwood has just been promoted from the grade of Corporal. Prior to entering the Army, Sgt. Kelley was employed by Winslow Bros. Smith in Norwood. He is a graduate of the Norwood High School.

Harry C. Lebline of Monroe Street has completed his studies at, the United States Naval Training School (Diesel) at Columbia, Montana, and has passed his exams, for motor machinist’s mate and is now Chief Petty Officer second class His new station will be Norfolk, Virginia.

Home for five days has been Clifford J McLatchey, U S. Navy, who Is just back from North Africa. He is in the Navy Signal Corps and trained for six months at Newport on entering the service.

Spending leave with him at his Pleasant Street home, was George McNeese of New York. The two boys were in training together at Newport and have been together since. Both got their Petty Officer’s stripes after their return from North Africa.

Thomas Andrew White, 28, son of Mrs. Margaret J White of 42 Mountain Avenue, Norwood, has been graduated from Officers’ Can didates Class here and commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U S. Marine Corps.

A graduate of Boston College, class of 1937, he enlisted in the Marine Corps last September at present he is attending an advanced officers’ training school for instruction in the duties of a platoon leader, following which he will be assigned to active duty with the troops.

There are two other McLatchey boys in the service. One, Russell, enlisted in the Marines a couple of years ago when he was eighteen and was one of the first Norwood boys to sign up. His mission means that he and his family may not communicate on government orders.

The other brother, John F McLatchey, is now in Lincoln, Nebraska, with the Army Air Forces ground crew. He was a mechanic for twelve years at Bird & Son and is now a mechanic in the Air Force.

He received Army training at Coral Gables, Florida.

Two Norwood boys who signed up in the Seabees together and got separated after training, are together again at a South Pacific base. They are Edward F Babel and Joe Casse. There in the South Pacific, they have run into Alec Blazis, among other Norwood boys.

Pvt. Stanley Kalis, 18 Folan Avenue, Norwood, recently home on a seven-day furlough has returned to MPRTC (Military Police Recruit Training Center), Fort Riley, Kansas, to take up new duties aa an instructor. He is now an acting corporal.

Lt. Murray Farren, 83 Elliot Street, has been transferred to the Army Air Forces and is now stationed at Randolph Field, Texas.

Eugene V McLean Jr., Norwood, in the Army Air Forces ground crew, has been promoted from Private to Private First Class and is now at Chanute Field, Illinois, attending a cook’s school for 60 days. He was transferred there from Rome Air Depot, New York, where he expects to return after completion of his course at Chanute Field.

McLean seems to be following a family tradition. His grandfather, George D. Bowen, former chef in a Norwood restaurant, cooked for the 65th Coast Artillery when it was serving in France in the last World War McLean’s father was a cook in local restaurants for some thirteen years.

Peculiarities of the Australian country are aptly described in a letter from Captain Harry E. Fraser of Norwood to his son, Richard Fraser.

Dated January 1, 1943, the letter is written from “somewhere in Australia”. Captain Fraser flew there in mid-November for his duties with the Army Air Force Excerpts from his letter to his son, follow:
“The country here is altogether different from ours. It is always very warm. It has wet seasons and dry seasons. Palm trees grow everywhere. Large fig trees without fruit are found here.”

“I was riding in the train the other day when I saw some wild kangaroos. They were great big fellows, one of them stood about seven feet tall. They can run about 40 miles per hour.”

“I also saw wild flamingos— beautiful grey and red birds standing on very long legs. The male bird, called the cock, is the prettiest. I saw two of them fighting in a swamp the other day It was very funny to watch them/”

‘’There are also small-sized animals like kangaroos that look like a cross between a kangaroo, a rabbit and a rat. These are called Wallabys. I have seen a lot of these and have even seen the babies crawl into their mother’s pouch.”

“The turtles over here are very large, some of them weigh up to 800-400 lbs. Pythons are quite numerous too. They are very large snakes 12-15 feet long and about 5 inches thick. They are the constricting kind.”

“There is another animal like the kangaroo called the Wallaroo. He is more powerful but not quite so big He is usually a bluish grey in color His tad is very powerful.”

“There is the cutest little wild bear here, called the Koala bear, about the size of our dog, Duke It is blue grey in color and even its face is covered with long soft
hair that stands out about two inches It is the cleanest animal alive, never having fleas or anything.”

“We don’t have ostriches here but a bird almost as big called the Emu which can run about 23 miles per hour It is a homely grey bird with long plume like feathers, and it can kick as hard as a mule. It cannot fly at all.”

“The trains here are not like ours To enter them, you walk into the side of the car right to your seat. Every two seats has a door Every so often the train stops so that the passengers can hop off and get tea. ”

(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)