Welfare Vehicles

[Lang]

Another group

[Matthew P]

Lang,

Your picture "Welfare34" of The Salvation Army canteen in camouflage with several Salvation Army officers in uniform around it; Was taken in London. Specifically that's the William Booth College in Denmark Hill. It was the temporary home of the War Emergencies Department after TSA International Headquarters suffered from a bombing raid.

Of interest to me is that it appears very similar to a series of photos by TSA Major Wesley Grottick who commanded the canteen fleet in England in 1940/41. But it is not one of the photos in his album at the TSA Heritage Centre. Do you have the source information or any caption? I may reach out to you for the highest resolution scan you have.

Matt

[maple_leaf_eh]

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ight=salvation

[Lang]

Sorry Mathew

What you see is what you get. I just plucked all these at random off the web and they do not have a connection to anything stored on my computer in higher resolution.

When looking for images on Google search I often just click on the thumbnail if it is what I want without going to the actual site source.

If I find a source for that photo I will let you know.

Lang

[Matthew P]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ight=salvation

Terry thanks for that thread. I believe Supervisor was at least unofficially used by the British and Australians as well. I do know the Aussies referred to the role as a "Welfare Officer" but that may be position rather then rank/title.

Of note is the Supervisor being listed as an officer on D-day. When I'm home and have access to my book on the topic, I'll see what TSA has on Robin Turpett.


Matt

[Lang]

I may be wrong but I have never heard any Welfare Officer called other than that as a third party reference but more commonly Fred Smith. It could be qualified by "the YMCA/Salvation Army/Red Cross Welfare Officer" You would use the terms in a situation like this: "Take this box over to the Welfare Officer" or more likely " the YMCA bloke" and on arrival, Private Jones would say "Fred I have this box for you".

The Salvos were rarely sometimes referred to in formal written instructions by their Salvation Army rank but once again I never heard them addressed during personal contact by soldiers of any rank other than Fred Smith.

I think any welfare officer referring to himself as "Supervisor" or in the Salvos case "Major" would be pretty short of customers in the Australian Army. The social pygmies and there are a few in the mix usually struggle through because they have something the soldiers want but they are either the butt of jokes or lead lonely lives on the edge of the group.

Most military-attached Welfare people are popular because of their high social skills and personalities. I think they are special people in general who can maintain their personal high moral and social standards without preaching or judging the soldiers, many of whom have not attended Finishing School and have morals not encouraged by good Christian folk.


Lang

[Lang]

Found a few more

[Alan McGuinness]

Some more here (and possibly elsewhere on this forum):

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3247
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4746

[Matthew P]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ight=salvation

Terry,

Robin Turpett was a Salvationist layperson who was attached to the Canadian forces on 12.7.42, went overseas (England) on 25.6.43 and returned 16.1.46. The following month he was discharged. I don't know exactly when he arrived in France. It would appear from the information I have that the Supervisors were shipboard for D-day and landed with the rear echelon/support troops a few days later. The first on the continent was actually attached to the RCAF and landed 9 June. The first movie was shown for the troops on 11 June!

The above information is from the book "Red Shield in Action: A record of Canadian Salvation Army War Services in the Second Great War." by Scott Young and published 1949.

Matt

[Matthew P]

Just returned from the Toronto area. While there I went to Scarborough where The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda Territory archives are housed. I now have about 90 high resolution scans of mobile canteens and welfare vehicles of The Salvation Army Canadian War Services and British Red Shield Services during WW2. Many photos I've seen before and I now have high quality scans WITH CAPTIONS. Such as the interesting RHD Ford Panel with the bridge plate and black out lights? I now have where, when and who was driving! I also turned up a couple of photos of what I believe is a Bedford OXC in Salvation Army livery. If so that will make three photographs I've uncovered. Once I start processing the photographs I'll be posting on here and asking for help in positive ID.

Matt

[Lang]

This is a rare one.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Lang

This is a rare one.

It is indeed - ref. US Army Air Force CMP Fords in Tunisia:

"Box body-type truck, probably a Chevrolet, with words on it that read "U. S. Army Air Force Mobile Canteen Service, Post Exchange Service, Delta Service Command." A serviceman is standing near the passenger door. North Africa (probably). 1942-43"