The Lighter Side Of World War |
No flippancy or disrespect intended by this. As I dove deeper into the journals, I came to realize a sense of humor in time of war was not the sign of an inability to take events seriously, but a survival mechanism. |
Above: Christmas Dinner Menu Aboard The Blue Goose, less than 3 weeks after Dec. 7, 1941, attack.
Above: Copy of a plaque presented to Admiral Walden "Pug" Ainsworth by the ship's
crew upon Ainsworth's departure from the Honolulu while she was docked at Manus.
The conversation between the two sailors in lower right is: "Admiral Pug may
be a sun downer at times, but when I'm fightin' I choose to do it with him!"
"Up The Slot"
Lyricist unknown. Usually sung "...to the tune of..." a familiar song.
Above: Mementoes from various S.F. watering holes when Dad and his shipmates were on shore leave between missions.
Above: Dad wrote that every naval officer dreamt of being assigned to a "hot can".
Sept. '42 Newsletter of Washington Navy Yard
NyWash Communications Office blended the serious and ~ more often ~ humorous in its
periodic newsletters: jokes, cartoons, news (if any) from ensigns like Dad who had
moved on to sea duty. Dad and his college buddy "Hypo Hypo" Ashley are mentioned on page 5.
periodic newsletters: jokes, cartoons, news (if any) from ensigns like Dad who had
moved on to sea duty. Dad and his college buddy "Hypo Hypo" Ashley are mentioned on page 5.
March '43 Newsletter of Washington Navy Yard
More carryings-on from NyWash Communications Office 9 months after Dad had departed in July '42.
Guess he snagged this copy from another ensign who had taken the same NyWash training route he had.
Guess he snagged this copy from another ensign who had taken the same NyWash training route he had.
Above: Dad wrote in the journals how stretches of solitude during war eventually brought out the hidden poet in everyone.
Limericks
Dad ("Clean Gene") and two of his more literary-minded fellow officers (Lieut. Charles "The Squire" S. Bennett and "Doc"),
wrote, illustrated and published a book of limericks to placate numerous requests for one, when not otherwise
engaged in fighting a world war! Here are 3 examples. Demand for the salty collection was so great the authors
eventually issued a second edition! I own two of an unknown number of extant copies. UPDATE 1/23/2021: "Doc"
was the illustrator. His name was John H. Schimpf, Seaman 1st Class USN, of The USS Los Angeles.
(found Schimpf on the Angeleno's masthead, page 2: he was the newsletter's staff artist.)
wrote, illustrated and published a book of limericks to placate numerous requests for one, when not otherwise
engaged in fighting a world war! Here are 3 examples. Demand for the salty collection was so great the authors
eventually issued a second edition! I own two of an unknown number of extant copies. UPDATE 1/23/2021: "Doc"
was the illustrator. His name was John H. Schimpf, Seaman 1st Class USN, of The USS Los Angeles.
(found Schimpf on the Angeleno's masthead, page 2: he was the newsletter's staff artist.)
Urinal Types
War ships were definitely stag.
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