Strange things found in the forest

[r porter]

yes, the ol girl likely was bringing carp to the top of Wills Creek in eastern Ohio.

for years i had a switchboard like this, that dad saved, in the basement. take note of the headsets. a strap around the neck kept the mouthpiece centered on their chest so both hands were free to to hook up '55F23' after 'number please'

dad did save a real telegraph key and clicker. i will see if i can dig it out and post it. it works, too.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telep...System_Telephone_Switchboard_(3660047829).jpg

 

[6sunset6]

I saw those Engines in Maine around 1970 when I was up there on a canoe trip. They had just been painted.

 

[DrRod]

The coolest thing I ever found wasn't exactly in the woods but in an old barn/garage/shed. My grandparents had lived on the property during WW II -- cutting timber because they had to shut down their car dealership. My father was in the Pacific theater, moving north from island to island. So I'm looking for a long wooden box to hold my chainsaw on my ATV rack and I found one up in the rafters. It had at least a 1/4 inch of dirt on it, understandable since it had been there for 65 years. So I pull it down and there is writing on the lid in black crayon. At first all I could read was "JAR . . . OK to open." Then I swept off more dirt and the R turned into a P and more words came up: JAP RIFLE OK to open. There was an APO San Francisco return address and the old RFD address of the farm. It was the box my father had shipped a war souvenir from the occupation of Japan in 1945. He had sent a rifle and a sword to his parents at the farm. I felt it represented such a connection to daily life during the war. Image getting up one morning in rural PA and a Japanese rifle is delivered with the mail -- must have been quite a day. Also must have confirmed that their son was alright so I'm sure it was something special.

As an aside, I've heard it said that by 1946 there were more Japanese rifles in America than in Japan.

 

[MossRoad]

The coolest thing I ever found wasn't exactly in the woods but in an old barn/garage/shed. My grandparents had lived on the property during WW II -- cutting timber because they had to shut down their car dealership. My father was in the Pacific theater, moving north from island to island. So I'm looking for a long wooden box to hold my chainsaw on my ATV rack and I found one up in the rafters. It had at least a 1/4 inch of dirt on it, understandable since it had been there for 65 years. So I pull it down and there is writing on the lid in black crayon. At first all I could read was "JAR . . . OK to open." Then I swept off more dirt and the R turned into a P and more words came up: JAP RIFLE OK to open. There was an APO San Francisco return address and the old RFD address of the farm. It was the box my father had shipped a war souvenir from the occupation of Japan in 1945. He had sent a rifle and a sword to his parents at the farm. I felt it represented such a connection to daily life during the war. Image getting up one morning in rural PA and a Japanese rifle is delivered with the mail -- must have been quite a day. Also must have confirmed that their son was alright so I'm sure it was something special.

As an aside, I've heard it said that by 1946 there were more Japanese rifles in America than in Japan.

My father did exactly the same thing during WWII. His sister here in the states would send him film and camera parts. He'd send home "stuff". He had a Japanese rifle, a pistol, a gas mask, deactivated grenades, mortar rounds (YIKES), but he was a demolitions officer, so that's what he did. Japanese flag, helmet, etc.... He said he sent home a machine gun, but when his sister opened up the box, it was full of rocks!

Anyhow, he said he stopped souvenir hunting after it occurred to him that some of these things should be left alone. He said they had to go through the bodies of the dead to look for intelligence. It hit him when he'd find pictures of the dead person with his family, wife, kids, parents, etc... he said most of them looked like any other family and home in America with grass, flower gardens, suits and ties, Sunday best clothes, etc.... He told me it was all a matter of fortune or misfortune as to where you were born. He thought about that until the day he died almost 50 years later.

 

[Creamer]

My father did exactly the same thing during WWII. His sister here in the states would send him film and camera parts. He'd send home "stuff". He had a Japanese rifle, a pistol, a gas mask, deactivated grenades, mortar rounds (YIKES), but he was a demolitions officer, so that's what he did. Japanese flag, helmet, etc.... He said he sent home a machine gun, but when his sister opened up the box, it was full of rocks!

Anyhow, he said he stopped souvenir hunting after it occurred to him that some of these things should be left alone. He said they had to go through the bodies of the dead to look for intelligence. It hit him when he'd find pictures of the dead person with his family, wife, kids, parents, etc... he said most of them looked like any other family and home in America with grass, flower gardens, suits and ties, Sunday best clothes, etc.... He told me it was all a matter of fortune or misfortune as to where you were born. He thought about that until the day he died almost 50 years later.

The reality of war - thanks for sharing!

 

[dan ny escarpment]

My older siblings tell the story of the german water-cooled WW2 machine gun (mg 15?) in the attic when they were kids in the early 50's that somehow made it home from the ETO, Dad remained active in the reserves into mid 50's. The story goes the Detroit FBI office kindly took it away on request at some point. That was the one firearm we ever had in our family, I'd presume he got his fill of live fire in the Ardennes in January and February 1945 while a 2nd Lt. of a heavy weapons platoon in the 87th Infantry Division of Patton's 3rd Army.

 

[stuckmotor]

We had an old disused phone like that when I was a kid. I liked to disassemble things and that was the end of the phone.

Cool phone find.

have a phone like that on my kitchen wall. was my grandfathers. Once upon a time was hardwired over the hill to his dad's house so they could talk. My grandparents never had any other phone.

 

[stuckmotor]

That's a terrapin, plenty of those around

That's what I call them too.

 

[dmccarty]

So I pull it down and there is writing on the lid in black crayon. At first all I could read was "JAR . . . OK to open." Then I swept off more dirt and the R turned into a P and more words came up: JAP RIFLE OK to open. There was an APO San Francisco return address and the old RFD address of the farm. It was the box my father had shipped a war souvenir from the occupation of Japan in 1945. He had sent a rifle and a sword to his parents at the farm. I felt it represented such a connection to daily life during the war....

What happened to the rifle and sword?

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

So I pull it down and there is writing on the lid in black crayon. At first all I could read was "JAR . . . OK to open." Then I swept off more dirt and the R turned into a P and more words came up: JAP RIFLE OK to open. There was an APO San Francisco return address and the old RFD address of the farm. It was the box my father had shipped a war souvenir from the occupation of Japan in 1945. He had sent a rifle and a sword to his parents at the farm. I felt it represented such a connection to daily life during the war....

What happened to the rifle and sword?

Later,
Dan