Sepia Saturday 707. Nineteenth in a series about letters from my dad’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau while he was in the US Army during WWII.
During October 1942, Uncle Fred’s letters were filled with commentary on news from back home — responses to mail he was at last receiving more regularly from his mother, brothers and friends.
Yet in his Oct. 7, 1942, letter — amid his family commentary — he slipped the following announcement about a charitable effort his Army unit was undertaking.
Collecting for war orphans
“Guess what? We have, or I should say we are going to, adopt a baby. We have just formed a Non-Commissioned Officer Club and over here they have a system for war orphan babies where you contribute £20 a year for five years to go to the support and education of these youngsters,” wrote Uncle Fred.
“So, what we are going to do is to take a collection each month and send it in. As soon as we get enough for one [and] we send it in, then we are going to start all over again. We won’t get the baby, all we do is contribute to its support, but we will get a picture of it and also from time to time how she is doing, etc.“
A widespread charitable effort
This was the first I’d heard of this charitable effort among US troops during WWII, but I was unable to find more details about it.
However, the practice was apparently widespread because there are many images online of US soldiers spending time with and entertaining children they sponsored — orphans who had lost both parents during WWII, as shown in the photo shown above.
Uncle Fred was a single guy, but he was clearly moved to contribute to making life easier for children orphaned by the war — and to share the experience with his mother, Mary (Owen) Charboneau.
Dad’s college life
Meanwhile, my father Norm Charboneau [Fred’s youngest brother] put in an appearance in the Oct. 7, 1942, letter.
“I also got a letter from Owen [Fred’s oldest brother] today and one from Jane Oley [a former classmate]. She is at Potsdam also, ” Fred wrote.
My dad graduated high school in 1942 (valedictorian) with Jane’s younger sister, Marian Oley (salutatorian), as detailed in the news story. Then he was off to college at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.
“Owen said that he was celebrating his 4th wedding anniversary. It certainly doesn’t seem that long since he was married, but it is. He also told me what Norman has to do as a freshman at college. That is almost as bad as being in the Army, but at least all we have to do is salute our Officers.”
My dad was the first of the five Charboneau brothers to go to college, so they were all learning from his experiences. And Uncle Fred couldn’t resist some more brotherly joshing.
“Jane said that she saw Norman and the first thing he asked her was where she lived. And when she told him, he took out a little blue book and put it down,” said Fred. “So you better keep an eye on our son and brother, or he is liable to bring back a wife from college. Jane said there are quite a few good-looking girls up there.”
I had to smile. Dad always had a little notebook with him — a habit that clearly began early — and he actually did bring back a wife from college, because that’s where he met my good-looking mom!
Up next: More from Uncle Fred’s fall 1942 letters. Please stop back! Meanwhile, please visit the other intrepid bloggers over at Sepia Saturday.
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