In The Service Now-This Day In Norwood History-November 27, 1942

Ned F Stewart, Jr., son of Dr. and Mrs. N F Stewart of Nichols Street, has recently been commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in New Caledonia.

Lt Stewart Is a graduate of Mt Hermon Preparatory School in Northfield, Mass., and, also of Pennsylvania State College of Optometry in Philadelphia. While attending both colleges he played the trumpet with the school orchestra, belonged to the “Click” club, and his Fraternity is “Omega Delta”.

Prior to entering the service in March, 1941, Lt. Stewart was a practicing optometrist, associated with,his father, with offices in Norwood.

Lt Stewart will now be stationed with the Medical Administrative Corps in New Caledonia. He has been assigned to the Dispensary, where his new duties will include, in part, the practice of his chosen profession.

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Granted a 24-hour pass, Private Eugene “Scoop’ McLean, Jr., stationed at Rome, New York, air depot made a flying trip home to spend four hours with his folks on Roosevelt Avenue on Sunday “Scoop” brought back the best wishes of six other Norwood lads who are stationed with him at the huge air depot.

They are Leslie Greene, Walter Grusheski, Bill Blood, Bill Patterson, John Dwyer, and John Royen.

While home “Scoop,” who enlisted in the ground crew of the Army Air Force, three weeks ago, made arrangements to call Norwood after the Thanksgiving game as he and his buddies at Rome are anxious to hear the result of the annual clash between Dedham and Norwood as soon as possible.

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Peter Smith Missing at Sea

Word has been received by his family here from the Navy Department that Midshipman Peter Smith of St. George Avenue is missing at sea. On a ship torpedoed while in Atlantic convoy. Smith was in one of three lifeboats two of which have not been heard from as yet

A midshipman. Smith had been in the Navy about a year and was on his way to a commission as air Ensign, due in another three months.

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Thomas A. White of 42 Mountain Avenue has enlisted in the Marines and is receiving officer’s training at Quantico, Virginia. He left Norwood a week ago and will get a commission following his officer’s training.

White graduated from Norwood High in ’33 and from Boston College in ’37. In the summer of his junior year at B. C. he had 11 weeks’ flying training at an aviation college in Dallas, Texas. On graduation from B. C. he trained in flying with the Army at Randolph Field, Texas.

Returning home, White studied for his Master’s degree at Boston University He taught in Norwood schools and also worked for the Stawmut Bank in Boston.

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Walter J. Gotovich, recently enlisted in the Navy, is training at the U. S. Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island.

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Robert W. Hartshorn, son of Mr. and Mrs. Willard Hartshorn of 132 Vernon Street has enlisted in the Army Air Corps and is located at Atlantic City, New Jersey, for his basic training.

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Sgt Francis B. Morrison has been moved from his Georgia station to Fort Meade, Maryland.

Graphic description of the weather somewhere in the Pacific came through in a letter from a postmaster, San Francisco, address this week. To begin with, says the writer: “You don’t know how much devotion is needed to arise from this tropical torpor and write a letter home to people who are breathing in the nippy atmosphere of lovely New England autumn.“

“You’ve read all about the tropical rainstorms and the wet seasons of all sorts of places that are financially speaking, popular. You have no idea how darned real they can be. The rain just comes down and down and down. Never seems to let up, for the air is just as wet after it’s stopped.

“May I make myself clear, I me the word ’rain’ advisedly, and as a word of art, I think it would be more correct for me to say it TEEMS. We take one hell of a beating in that everything is so wet and naturally it is hard to dry clothes during the wet spell.

“Another thing that must come up in this peculiar diatribe is MUD. Upper case does not do justice to this misconceived matter. No ordinary mud this, but some plasmic hangover from when all the world was swimming in heaving hot pools of green slime. It’s sticky, icky and gooey.

“It crawls and almost breathes, it reproduces (I swear to it) by fission. One small mud puddle begets another and that begets another. But it is still mud, to be explicit, nascent mud. In this accursed weather the Sea Bees carry on, not one whit deterred by the curse of the elements. You should see them, the little dears, buzzing about in their foul weather clothing.

“I wish I could send you a picture of me in my foul weather clothing. You not only would not recognize the old, familiar, urbane me, but you would become firmly convinced of creatures from other worlds.

“The color is biliously liverish. One must surround oneself with a pair of outsize pants that hang on solely by the virtue of two straps that theoretically at least go around the shoulders like overalls.

“The description makes this a simple creation dear reader, beware, for once inside this infernal contraption, you are doomed, I mean it, doomed to be always retrieving a recalcitrant bra strap.

“So much for the pantaloons. The next step, for the benefit of all those in the last two rows I am taking this up chronologically, is to creep in or otherwise cull in to a perverse creation destined to be worn as a mackinaw. After getting a size too small, I once discovered myself eating the sleeve of this creation between two slices of bread, for Sam, you made the sleeves too long.

“Would that this were enough. Alas and alack, they fasten these accursed garments with a series of snaps that don’t snap, and buttons that are supposed to go into button holes much smaller than the buttons.

“The crowning outrage is the hat. Imagine if you will, a cross between a kangaroo’s pouch and a flying jib . . color as above mentioned and the entire creation as floppy and unmanageable as if one were trying to roll hoops with flapjacks. These hats (my dear, they really aren’t and never could be, for not even in the fetal stage could they bear the slightest resemblance to anybody’s hat) are worn with great aplomb by my colleagues.

“Many favor the up In front, down behind style. Others, and these are rugged individuals, wear theirs down in front and up behind. Ah, but the real unfettered and bold soul wears his up one side and down another. I must reveal that I wear mine up all around after dear old Hattie Carnegie—Mainboucher would indeed be shocked.”

The writer of this classic description asks to be remembered to all his friends in Norwood. It won’t be necessary to reveal his identity and run the risk of reprimand from the far-comer of the world, because his friends should recognize his gay charm without a bit of difficulty.

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Service Honor Roll Corrections, Additions Sought

Important That Information Be Sent Immediately

With publication last week of the Norwood Honor Roll of men and women from this town in the armed forces, steps toward erection of the public honor roll board are expected to be taken immediately.

General Manager Francis W. Smith and architect Harry Korslund, who is giving his services, will visit boards erected in mother towns and confer, on the most suitable type of board for-Norwood. It is planned to have names appear alphabetically on panels which will be behind glass, with movable name carets so that the list may be added to in alphabetical order.

The Honor Roll Committee which was charged by selectmen with the task of compiling the list is hopeful that with publication of the list last week, parents and friends of men in service will cooperate in making any corrections needed and in adding any names which may have been omitted.

Information should be sent to the Honor Roll Committee, Municipal Building, Norwood, on a penny postcard which must be signed with the name and address of the person giving the information. All information should be forwarded immediately since, once the board is prepared, additions will be made but monthly, in ail probability, and information received too late for the first listing will have to wait for inclusion on the honor roll board until another addition of new names is made.

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Family Receives Cable Saying Pendergast OK

Was Marine On Torpedoed Erie; Also Sends Letter

The family of Edward Pendergast of East Hoyle street received a cablegram a week ago Monday saying he was alive and well after the torpedoing of gunboat “Erae” He had been assigned to the boat for the past 19 months.

Pendergast is a platoon sergeant in the Marine Corps. He’s been in the service two years and two months. He graduated from Norwood High in 1940.
The Erie was torpedoed off Venezuela recently. Since receiving the cablegram, Pendergast’s family has had a letter in which he said he had had a most unusual experience but did not elaborate on it further.

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All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)