This week in history -1945
Published 12:42 pm Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Brothers separated by the war for years, reunite in Europe in 1945.
The Ritz Theatre shows the 1944 thriller “Experiment Perilous.”
Thrifty Store sponsors contest to win war bonds.
The United National Clothing Collection urges citizens to donate clothing to refugees.
Corporal Raymond O. Forrest writes home from a prisoner of war camp in 1945.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The headlines of the Greenville Advocate the week of April 4-10, 1945 reflect the ongoing impact of World War II on the local community and beyond. In an update from the European Theater of Operations, the paper covered a range of topics, from a heartwarming reunion of brothers on the front, to the harsh realities of prisoners of war and a call to donate old clothing to war refugees.
- Brothers Reunite in Europe: Sgt. Mack Sims and Staff Sgt. Fred Sims, separated for several years due to the war, had a heartwarming reunion in the Woodruff European Theater of Operations. Mack, serving in an engineer outfit with extensive frontline experience, met his brother Fred, a staff sergeant in a hard-fighting infantry unit. Fred, who was just a schoolboy when last seen by Mack, had grown into a formidable soldier, awarded the Bronze Star for bravery, a Purple Heart for wounds, and an Oak Leaf Cluster for a second award of the Purple Heart. The brothers were both Greenville High School football stars with “Red” playing his last game the night before he left for the Army.
- Cpl. Raymond O. Forrest Reported as Prisoner of War: Cpl. Forrest was reported missing in action but wrote to his wife, Gladys Armstrong Forrest from a German prison camp. He was reported missing on Dec. 20, 1944. His first letter from the German prisoner of war camp was dated Jan. 3.
- Clothing Collection Urged for War Refugees: The United National Clothing Collection urged citizens to donate clothing for war refugees, emphasizing the dire need for clothing in war-torn Europe. Millions of people, including 30 million children, were in need of clothing, with reports of children owning only a single shirt or dress, patched multiple times. The collection aimed to alleviate suffering and provide essential items to those affected by the war. The initiative was part of “National ‘Clean-Out-Your-Clothes-Closet’ Week,” which sought to mobilize communities to donate their unused clothing to those less fortunate.
- Free $100 War Bond Contest Sponsored by Thrifty Store: Thrifty Store sponsored a contest for guessing the exact date, hour, and minute when the armistice would be declared between Germany and the Allies, with a $100 war bond as the prize.
- 1944 Thriller “Experiment Perilous” Screened at Ritz Theatre: The Ritz Theatre featured the 1944 thriller “Experiment Perilous,” starring Hedy Lamarr, George Brent, and Paul Lukas, providing entertainment for local residents amidst the war updates.
