The BenHaven Archives: WWII shortwave radio POW message collection

Example Shortwave Radio Message

One of the increasingly amazing aspects of World War II is the extent to which not only the nation but its allies coalesced during the conflict. For the parents of Alfred R. Young, for example, an important facet of their home-front ordeal was the community of encouragement and commiseration that voluntarily sprang up around them.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident or susceptible of study and understanding than in the letters, post cards, telegrams, and notes from telephone calls they received in connection with shortwave radio messages purportedly originating with their son. Alfred's father, Samuel P. Young, kept the letters, gave them to Alfred when he returned from the war, and Alfred kept them until the author embarked on the research and writing involved in telling Alfred's story.

During the war, Sam and his wife passed the letters around among members of their family, and so the present collection of 146 documents from more than 120 persons and organizations does not necessarily include everything they received. Nevertheless, it does provide a wonderful opportunity to sense the tensile strength of the people and community during a time when total strangers reached out to help each other from as close to home as Ponca City, Oklahoma and as far away as India and South Africa.

Even messages sometimes handwritten or typed on the face of an envelope reveal something of the extent to which these communications were passed hand-to-hand, relying, of course, upon the good will and diligence of strangers at every crossroads. For example, the following typewritten message to the postmaster appears on the letter sent by Douglas Matthews of San Diego, California:

Postmaster: Please make every effort to get the enclosed message from a prisoner of war to the proper address. It is possible that the number or the second part of the street name is in error.

Pfc. Robert Bird mailed his letter to Mr. and Mrs. John Young at "1320 S. Tonken or Conklen St" (the street was actually Canton), and wrote this message on the back of the envelope:

postmaster
IMPORTANT
Please try and locate these people if the address is incorrect. It is a message received from their son S/Sgt. Alfred R. Young over short wave radio from Tokyo, Japan. He has been a prisoner in Japan for over a year.

Hugo L. Markland simply mailed his letter to the editor of the Tulsa World, with the Youngs' address in the body of the letter.

Another post card addressed simply "Postmaster Tulsa, Oklahoma" is stamped in red, "Directory Searcher No. [1] Tulsa Okla." The address has been crossed through with a pencil, and contains the handwritten instruction: "Try SP Young 1320 So. Canton."

Each name in the following list links to message facsimiles in this online collection from The BanHaven Archives.

E. E. Alderman - Dayton, Ohio - Message 1
Mrs. Louise Almond - Los Angeles, California - Message 2
Mrs. George C. Anderson - Santa Rosa, California - Message 6
Myrtle Anderson (Mrs. Edward S. Anderson) - Ely, Nevada - Message 5

Mrs. Howard E. Barber - Manteca, California - Message 145
Mrs. Edward H. Baumer, Jr. - Seattle, Washington - Message 7
Violet Bender - Oberlin, Pennsylvania - Message 8
Al Birch - Parkland, Washington - Message 9
Pfc. Robert B[ir]d - Moses Lake, Washington - Message 10
Mar[ie]lla J. Blazek (Mrs. Joseph O. Blazek, Jr.) - Message 11
Mrs. P. E. Bovard - Seattle, Washington - Message 12
Mrs. M. L. Bradley - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Message 13
Mrs. M. L. Bradley - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Message 14
Eugene J. Braga - Redlands, California - Message 15
Howard F. Bresee - Washington, D.C. - Message 16
Mrs. L. R. Brooks - San Diego, California - Message 17
Nellie E. Brown - Oakland, California - Message 18
Mrs. Roy Bullington - Santa Monica, California - Message 19

H. E. Castell - San Francisco, California - Message 20
Grant Clark - Chehali[o], Washington - Message 21
Grant Clark - Chehali[o], Washington - Message 22
Mrs. Grant Clark - Chehali[o], Washington - Message 23
W. B. Clark - Twin Falls, Idaho - Message 24
Charlie Clemons - Vancouver, British Columbia - Message 25
Mrs. Earnest Clinger - Lovelock, Nevada - Message 26
Helen M. Cobb - Alameda, California - Message 27
Grace B. Conner (Mrs. Ralph E. Conner) - Monrovia, California - Message 28
Grace B. Conner (Mrs. Ralph E. Conner) - Monrovia, California - Message 29
Ernest A. Cramer - Long Beach, California - Message 30

Bernita Dennis - Bakersfield, California - Message 31
Bernita Dennis - Bakersfield, California - Message 32
Shirley Dyer - Seattle 2, Washington - Message 33
Jerry Dyson - Pasadena 6, California - Message 34

H. Mark Earl - Idaho Falls, Idaho - Message 35
Pfc. Dan Entroulis - San Francisco, California - Message 36

Earl A Fitzgerald - Lynden, Washington - Message 37
Earl A Fitzgerald - Lynden, Washington - Message 38
Earl A Fitzgerald - Lynden, Washington - Message 39
Mrs. H. L. Flowers - San Diego, California - Message 40
Mrs. C. H. Forder - British Columbia, Canada - Message 41

G. C. Gallagher - San Francisco, California - Message 42
G. C. Gallagher - San Francisco, California - Message 43
John A. Giles - San Francisco, California - Message 44
Eileen Gilkey (Mrs. W. D. Gilkey) - Palos Verdes Estate, California - Message 45
Mrs. T. A. Gilligan - Salt Lake City, Utah - Message 46
Mrs. P. A. Glover - Polson, Montana - Message 47
Donald H. Gray - Los Angeles, California - Message 48

May E. Hagedorn (Mrs. Carl Hagedorn) - Everett, Washington - Message 49
May E. Hagedorn (Mrs. Carl Hagedorn) - Everett, Washington - Message 50
May E. Hagedorn (Mrs. Carl Hagedorn) - Everett, Washington - Message 51
May E. Hagedorn (Mrs. Carl Hagedorn) - Everett, Washington - Message 52
William C. Hamburger - Huntington Park, California - Message 53
H. F. Hanna - Oakland, California - Message 54
Mrs. R. E. Hansen - [Tulsa], Oklahoma - Message 55
Bob Harris - Message 56
Arthur H. Hart - San Francisco, California - Message 57
Arthur H. Hart - San Francisco, California - Message 58
Ira Hayden - San Diego, California - Message 59
Sgt. Herman Heinemann - Camp Crowder, Missouri - Message 60
C. H. Hodg[e] - Long Beach, California - Message 61
Mrs. G. L. Holland - Santa Cruz, California - Message 62
Mrs. G. L. Holland - Santa Cruz, California - Message 63
Mrs. W. H. Hollenbeck - Topeka, Kansas - Message 64
Mrs. George A. Hopper - Banning, California - Message 65

C. R. Jensen - Yreka, California - Message 66
Charles H. Johns - Fort Mason, California - Message 67
W. T. Johnstone - Alameda, California - Message 68
J. D. Jones - Richmond, California - Message 69
Neil M. Jones, Jr. - Tacoma, Washington - Message 70
Mrs. George J. Jungert - Clarkston, Washington - Message 71

Mrs. H.R. Kamp - Fresno, California - Message 72
Mrs. J. H. Keene - Hollywood, California - Message 73
Miss Joleen King - Hollywood, California - Message 74
W. E. Kissinger - Los Angeles, California - Message 75
W. E. Kissinger - Los Angeles, California - Message 76
Lucile W. Kolyer (Mrs. Clinton Kolyer) - Newport Beach, California - Message 77

M. Van Landuyt - Bend, Oregon - Message 78
Peter P. G. Lapinski - Tacoma, Washington - Message 79
[Archer L.] Lerch - Message 113
[Archer L.] Lerch - Message 114
Mrs. H. J. Li[le]s - Gardena, California - Message 80
Mrs. Iris Lisman - Caalinga, California - Message 81
Mrs. Joe Lit[enin] - Raymond, Washington - Message 82
Sanford Lowe - New York, New York - Message 83
Sanford Lowe - New York, New York - Message 84
O. Lucas - Rogue River, Oregon - Message 85

W.P.M. of the American Women's Voluntary Services - Pasadena, California - Message 3
W.P.M. of the American Women's Voluntary Services - Pasadena, California - Message 4
Vincent W. Manning - Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii - Message 86
Hugo L. Markland - Casper, Wyoming - Message 87
Douglas Matthews - San Diego, California - Message 88
Mrs. Edgar McCahan - Walla Walla, Washington - Message 89
Mrs. M. McCull[o]ugh - Independence, California - Message 90
Mr. and Mrs. Peter McCullough - Phoenix, Arizona - Message 91
Mrs. M. McErlain - Edmonton, Alberta - Message 92
Cecelia McKie (Mrs. W. L. McKie) - Sacramento, California - Message 93
Cecelia McKie (Mrs. W. L. McKie) - Sacramento, California - Message 94
Cecelia McKie (Mrs. W. L. McKie) - Sacramento, California - Message 95
William M. Mead - Chico, Texas - Message 96
Mrs. Louis Medsker - Boise, Idaho - Message 97
Mrs. Louis Medsker - Boise, Idaho - Message 98
Mrs. Louis Medsker - Boise, Idaho - Message 99
Mr. and Mrs. George Merrifield - Noreo, California - Message 100
Jacob Moore - Bellingham, Washington - Message 101
R. S. Morrison - Delta, Utah - Message 102
Margaret Morrow - Los Angeles, California - Message 103
Victor R. Moss - Ponca City, Oklahoma - Message 104
Mrs. H. Mulhauser - Lubbock, Texas - Message 105

Ernest L. Nelson - Toronto, Ontario - Message 106
Ernest L. Nelson - Toronto, Ontario - Message 107
Neva H. Newman - San Gabriel, California - Message 108
Elmer N. Nilson - Irene, South Dakota - Message 109

Bertha Maye Patton - Oak Harbor, Washington - Message 110
Pfc. J. J. [Petros] - Camp Adair, Oregon - Message 111
Mrs. I. E. Porter - Bakersfield, California - Message 112

Mrs. Herbert Raines - Piedmont, California - Message 115
Robert Ranney - Olympia, Washington - Message 116
R. P. Read - Hopkins, Minnesota - Message 117
R. P. Read - Hopkins, Minnesota - Message 118
Mrs. Richards - Mount Vernon, Washington - Message 119
Evangeline Riley - Oakland, California - Message 120
Mrs. R. H. Ritchey - Chowchilla, California - Message 121
Mrs. Fred Runyan - Tacoma, Washington - Message 122
Mrs. Fred Runyan - Tacoma, Washington - Message 123

Nora V. S[ammon] - San Francisco, California - Message 124
Albert Theodore Scheid - San Francisco, California - Message 125
Carl Schoefer - Sacramento, California - Message 126
Roy H. Self - Roy, New Mexico - Message 127
Ernest Shaffer - Salt Lake City, Utah - Message 128
Mr. and Mrs. B. O. South - San Francisco, California - Message 129
Mr. and Mrs. B. O. South - San Francisco, California - Message 146
Ernest H. Stephan - Cape Town, South Africa - Message 130
Mrs. Ada M. Stewart - Las Vegas, Nevada - Message 131
Mrs. Ada M. Stewart - Las Vegas, Nevada - Message 132
R. R. Stokes - Pasadena, California - Message 133
William V. Sullivan, Jr. - Baldwin Park, California - Message 134
Mrs. A. Swanson - Los Angeles, California - Message 135
Mrs. R. E. S[w]offord - B[e]ll, California - Message 136

M. L. Turner & Mrs. W. L. Tobin - India c/o Mounds, Illinois - Message 137
M. L. Turner & Mrs. W. L. Tobin - India c/o Mounds, Illinois - Message 138

W. G. Voigt - Scotia, California - Message 139

A. L. Wahlstrom - Denver, Colorado - Message 140
Russell R. Weeks - Venice, California - Message 141
Mary Weldon - Los Angeles, California - Message 142
Scot S. Wilson - S.S. George Pomut[z] - Message 143

Carl R. Yates - Ford City, Pennsylvania - Message 144

Tags: 2013, BenHaven Archives, Shortwave radio POW messages