1942, Maxwell Field, Alabama

Maxwell, Apr. 1942. Dad sent these pictures to his mom and wrote on the back of all of them. His bunk is the lower one in the background. This notation is so like Dad. He really loved to do sewing repair on things that didn't make it to the sewing machine. I can't tell you how many suitcase/purse parts that he has put back together for me with a strong needle, dental floss and a pair of pliers. So here is, sewing stripes on someone else's uniform. And how totally like him to be doing kind things for other people.

(Me, sewing Nick Arabrinko's stripes and stars.)

He makes a notation about his moccasins--see them under the bed? Uh, oh, Ralph. You misspelled "moccasins." Ten points off! Alert Regis!

And this is another theme that continued through his life. He always had moccasin slippers. And when I was 8 or 9, while we were living in Castle Heights, he sewed me the swellest pair of moccasins you ever saw. He even did a beaded design of a thunderbird on each one. I think I have a picture of me wearing them somewhere.
some history and information on Maxwell Field/Air Force Base follows. The Davitt family returned to Montgomery two more times.
In 1918, the U.S. Government purchased the Wright Brothers flying field for a military depot, and on November 8, 1922 the field was officially named in honor of 2nd Lt William C. Maxwell, a native of Atmore, AL, who lost his life in an aircraft accident during WWI. The mission of the base changed in 1931 when the Air Corps Tactical School was moved to Maxwell from Langley Field, VA. During WWII, this school was moved to Orlando, FL and Maxwell became the Eastern Headquarters for flying training. In 1942, the Southeast Army/Air Forces training center was established at Maxwell,making it the largest pre-flight training school in the nation. At this school, thousands of American and Foreign students learned the fundamentals that helped to achieve victory for the allies. In rapid succession, Maxwell Field was used as an Officer Candidate School, an Advanced Flying Training School, a B-24 Navigation School and a B-29 Transition School.

1942: Date With a Cloud

Dad sent photographs to his mother as well as to MaryJane. He usually wrote on the picture or the back. this one has:
Momsy: Got a date with a cloud - Ralph
June 29, 42
Hawthorne
(photo by J.P.Dean)
Momsy??? And did the Wright brothers build that plane?
............................
added later.......
further investigation reveals that this is a
Boeing Stearman PT-17

The wings were of wood with fabric covering while the fuselage had a tough, welded steel framework, also fabric covered. Either a Lycoming R-680 (PT-13) or Continental R-670 (PT-17) engine powered most models, at a top speed of 124 mph with a 505-mile range. An engine shortage in 1940-41 led to the installation of 225-hp Jacobs R-755 engines on some 150 airframes, and the new designation PT-18.

The plane was easy to fly, and relatively forgiving of new pilots. It gained a reputation as a rugged airplane and a good teacher. Officially named the Boeing Model 75, the plane was (and still is) persistently known as the "Stearman" by many who flew them. It was called the "PT" by the Army, "N2S" by the Navy and "Kaydet" by Canadian forces. By whatever name, more than 10,000 were built by the end of 1945 and at least 1,000 are still flying today worldwide. http://www.warbirdalley.com/pt17.htm

We also know, now, that he was at the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

1941, Hawthorne School of Aeronautics

May 3, 1941. Hawthorne School of Aeronautics, Air Corps Training Detachment, Orangeburg, South Carolina, Class of 42-J Primary.

The Hawthorne School of Aeronautics was a civilian flying school which was chosen by the Army Air Corps in 1940 to provide primary flight training for its pilots. This training commenced in 1941, using the Boeing PT-17 Stearman biplane. http://www.eaa1367.org/main_pages/history.htm

Ralph G. Davitt, back row, 2nd from left. He has recorded the names of everyone in the photograph on the back so in case you think you recognize anyone, I'll look them up for you.

Uncle Bob told me a story and I have vague memories of Dad telling us that he survived a plane crash. Maybe it was here--in the biplane. He was flying solo and in the plane there were two gas tanks. When the first ran out of gas, you flipped a switch to bring in fuel from the second tank. When Ralph tried to flip the switch, it was jammed. No more fuel. He had to land the plane. The field he was aimed at had recently been cleared of trees, but not fully. It was a field of stumps. He put the plane down and was doing fine until one of the wings caught on a tree stump. The plane whipped around and hit a bunch more stumps until it was smashed to smithereens. He wasn't injured, but the plane was totaled.

1941 - 42: Pine Camp, NY:" I Always Wore Whites"

Okay, first, a little history on Pine Camp, New York:
With the outbreak of World War Two, the area now known as Pine Camp was selected for a major expansion and an additional 75,000 acres of land was purchased. With that purchase, 525 local families were displaced. Five entire villages were eliminated, while others were reduced from one-third to one-half their size. By Labor Day 1941, 100 tracts of land were taken over. Three thousand buildings, including 24 schools, 6 churches and a post office were abandoned. Contractors then went to work, and in a period of 10 months at a cost of $20 million, an entire city was built to house the divisions scheduled to train here. Eight hundred buildings were constructed; 240 barracks, 84 mess halls, 86 storehouses, 58 warehouses, 27 officers' quarters, 22 headquarters buildings, and 99 recreational buildings as well as guardhouses and a hospital.

Construction workers paid the price, as the winter of 1941-42 was one of the coldest in North Country history. The three divisions to train at Pine Camp were General George S. Patton's 4th Armored Division (Gen. Creighton Abrams was a battalion commander here at the time), the 45th Infantry Division and the 5th Armored Division.

The post also served as a prisoner of war camp. Of those prisoners who died here, one Italian and six Germans are still buried in the Sheepfold Cemetery near Remington Pond.

Pine Camp became Camp Drum in 1951, named after Lt. Gen. Hugh A. Drum who commanded the First Army during World War II.

Fort Drum is located in the North Country, the picturesque Thousand Islands Region of Northern New York State. This installation is located in one of the most unique and beautiful areas in the United States. Fort Drum is approximately 30 miles from Canada, with the Great Lakes to our west and the Adirondack Mountains to the east.

Fort Drum has been used as a military training site since 1908, however the Army's presence in the North Country may be traced back to the early 1800's.
(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fort-drum.htm)

And, that's where Ralph G. Davitt was sent after completing boot camp at Fort Dix. And we have the postcard to prove it. Don't you think it is interesting that they had the soldiers fill out a card for the family? Do they do that now?
Ralph G. Davitt with Mrs. Moore, and Miss Ruben:


He did tell me that at one time he was an X-ray technician. Remember in a previous post, Uncle Bob wrote: He went from Fort Dix to Watertown N.Y. where he worked in the military hospital there. He did good work and I remember the story that some doctor there was so impressed with his knowledge and performance that he wanted him to go to med school.
This photo is interesting. Messy hair, eyes closed, no uniform...just his coat. Almost like he's being made to stand in the yard for an hour, though that is hard to believe!Periodically, they'd go on maneuvers. The Army calls it a bivouac...which means rough camping with improvised shelters and tents.

1941: Ralph G. Davitt is Drafted

They mailed your draft notice to your mother?

1941: Fort Dix

And when he left his life in New York City this is what awaited him. (btw, he is not in this photo--I just thought it told a great story.)But, fortunately, his brothers came for a visit. His mom came, too, and we saw her in a previous post. She must've taken the photo. (Bob, Alan, Ralph, Joe)After they left, Dad sent a postcard to his mom:

New York World's Fair 1937 - 1938

Theres a ton of photographs from the New York World's Fair, which opened in Queens, NYC, 1939. Looks like Digger had a sneak peak.

He certainly took a lot of photos. These two subjects seemed to fascinate him:

from www.stuntdriver1.com:
It's hard to believe, but there was a time when auto thrill shows drew larger crowds than NASCAR races. Spectators packed rickety wooden grandstands to watch daring young men in spiffy white uniforms do the "slide for life" or the "T-bone crash," to drive cars on two wheels, or to jump cars or motorcycles from ramp to ramp. In the late 1950s as many as 29 stunt shows - including Jack Kochman's Hell Drivers, Joie Chitwood's Tournament of Thrills, and Jimmy Lynch's Death Dodgers - toured the country.


from http://www.pmphoto.to:
Three sections made up the GE pavilion. In Steinetz Hall, there was a ten-million-volt display of electricity over a 30-foot arc. In the House of Magic, there were whirling discs, a floating metal carpet, a solar motor, and a shadow that came and went independent of the person who was casting it.

The Exhibit Hall contained a complete television studio, a model electric appliance store with the full line of GE products and the General Electric X-Ray Corporation's display of an X-Ray machine and a 2,700-year-old mummy.

Looks like dad was impressed by the ten-million-volt display!

Digger in Drag

on a previous post, pat said...

I bet his critical piece to understand the costume is no longer being worn. Hat? Mask? Wig?
I remember the Halloween/Fasching? in Germany when he wore that blond wig. That wig still exists in our dress-up bureau. Maybe some day his great grand kids will wear it.

You mean this wig?

Mask Time

(Pat, Chad, MaryJane, Derek, Digger)

Mask Time

We spent many a day playing at the Davitt house - where there was never a shortage of interesting things to do. The closet in Marnie's room was filled with games, balloons to blow up and bounce around, books, cars and trucks, and ... and.... and.... Sometimes Digger even initiated some fun activity. This day was one of those. He brought in the paper disposable masks for us - from his work on the patio and carport. He always used them when he was working on his cars with his compressor. (sandblasting and painting) Mom dug up the old markers, some still had ink - barely, from deep in her art closet. We covered the teak dining room table - and we set to decorating. I remember it being a really cold and rainy day. For this shot - Digger set up the camera on the kitchen counter and we all posed. Dad's looks like a lion - Mom a rabbit. Ours just look like artistic designs - symmetrical of course.

1910: Joseph J. Davitt at Pine Camp!

These photographs of dad's military career are all in a scrapbook that Grandma Davitt kept. He mailed her the photos (with some writing on the back-thanks, Digger!) and she taped them or used corner holders to affix them to the manila paper pages. Right after the page of all the photos of Digger from Pine Camp, there is a large fabric American flag.Apparently, Joe Davitt, Ralph's dad, was in the U.S. Army for a time (Company L, 71st Infantry Regiment) and he spent the month of August in 1910 at Pine Camp, NY.
Along with the flag, there is a hand-decorated postcard. The writing is done with gold glitter. "Souvenir from L Co.......71st N.Y. Infty, War Maneuvers, Pine Camp, N.Y., Aug 1, to 21. 1910"verso:
Here is the text up close:
I guess Jim is Dad's favorite uncle, Father Jim. I don't know who Charlie is. Anyone?

So, did everyone count the stars on the flag?
William H. Taft was president from 1909 to 1913

Joseph J. Davitt, Sr. Died September 20, 1931

Joseph John Davitt
Born Dec 6, 1888, New York, NY
Died September 20, 1931
(father of Ralph G. Davitt)

Mary C. Kinsella Davitt, died August 11, 1959

Mary C. Kinsella Davitt
Born 11 January, 1891, Roscommon, Ireland
Died August 11, 1959
(mother of Ralph G. Davitt)

Her address was 58 East 190 St, Bronx 58, NY, NY

Elizabeth Kinsella Died May 24, 1933

Elizabeth Kinsella
Died May 24, 1933
(Mother of Mary Cecilia Kinsella Davitt?)

Elizabeth Kinsella Died May 24, 1933
Grandma Davitt's mother?
Mary Cecilia Kinsella Davitt

Mathew H. Kinsella Died March 22, 1931

Mathew H. Kinsella
died March 22, 1931
(father of Mary Cecilia Kinsella Davitt?)