23 Dec 1944
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 24 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Portsmouth Herald
Location
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States of America
Date
Dec 23, 1944
Page
1
Readable fragments describe wartime events with scattered names and places. The text mentions unions, cities, and travel as part of a broad battlefield air. Context remains unclear but signals ongoing conflict coverage and scrambled names.
A fragmented notice outlines a Tuesday recount with unclear names and times. The legible elements mention a chamber, supervision, and a person named Michael, with several unreadable fragments surrounding local officials and a district context.
Governor elect Charles M. Dale of Portsmouth says he will abolish the state classification system if a substantial majority of state employees desire it. He also backs a state pension plan, would lower retirement age from 65, and seeks to adjust retirement requirements if finances permit.
A Boston mother and her son, Christina and Johnny Ehret, were reunited after 23 years apart. Johnny, in the U S Army Signal Corps, had been led to believe his mother was dead, and the newspaper notes a long, emotional homecoming at a train station after a decades-long separation.
A Belgian father publishes an open letter to General Eisenhower in a local newspaper decrying Allied rationing. He recalls Belgian children who shared candy with American soldiers and asks why the war has lasted so long and when aid will come. He likens soldiers to Father Christmas, noting American kindness contrasted with Belgian beggar-like hunger.
An earthquake of moderate intensity was recorded at the Weston seismograph station last night. Officials said today it probably originated in northern Argentina or nearby areas. The quake occurred around 6:42 p.m. and lasted about two seconds, with an estimated distance of about 4,380 miles from Boston.
Allied forces push through Ormoc valley toward Palompon amid heavy air strikes. Tokyo reports 1546 Japanese killed and multiple Superforts shot down as recon planes fly over Tokyo. Official briefings claim no Superforts lost and several Japanese interceptors down, while other reports allege ships sunk near Mindoro and in Philippine waters.
Mrs Bernadette MacDougall of 43 Bay Road Newmarket received a war department telegram stating Private Raymond J MacDougall USA has been wounded in action in France. He reports shrapnel wounds to left hand cheek and shoulder while recuperating in a French hospital. A Saugus native, he has lived in Newmarket three years and enlisted January 1944 after training at Fort Devens South Carolina and Maryland.
Reg 23 reports virus pneumonia traced to pigeons. Army doctors Levinson Gibbs and Beardwnodd in JAMA note ornithosis in birds may spread to humans in the United States. Maro clinic Rochester findings and penicillin as potential treatment cited. Ornithosis rate among pigeons is stated as high as 40 to 50 percent.
Connie Mack mark 82 in Los Angeles as he and Mrs Mack spend the winter there. The veteran manager is 8 percent today and eyes another pennant for the Philadelphia Athletics, possibly in 1945, marking his first Philadelphia birthday absence in 44 years.
Several hundred sailors at the U S Naval hospital Portsmouth navy yard will telephone families nationwide for a Merry Christmas. The New England Telephone Portsmouth office installed a miniature exchange with an operator to handle calls starting this afternoon through Christmas Day. Mrs Agnes M Cox Red Cross field director coordinated calls as part of the Haverhill Metropolit an Troubadors effort. The group has raised nearly 1200 dollars under Leo Ryan. On Christmas afternoon the entertainers will visit the hospital delivering presents and a program for patients.
Ansel N. Sanborn, chairman of the Republican state committee, announced he has mailed invitations to Republican members of the incoming legislature for a party caucus on the night of January 2 in Concord.
Governor Robert Blood designated December 38 as Seabees Day in New Hampshire to honor the Naval Construction Battalions and mark their third birthday with a day of special commemoration.
The Bethlehem Star turns to gold as a poet recalls a blue star on a tree and a strong young face. The verse by Francesca Palk Miller honors Air Force Lt Ross Beaton and others who trod war's last mile, guided home by love.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception filled for a mass of thanksgiving celebrating Rev. James H. Brennan’s 50th anniversary as an ordained priest. Attendees included St Patrick's School, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Providence, and local officials. Brennan did not attend due to illness.
London dispatch says a Soviet commission reports nearly 700,000 dead or tortured in the Lwow extermination camp with Americans and Britons among presumed prisoners. It cites 200,000 more killed at Janow, and implicates Heinrich Himmler. Continued on Page Eight.
German armor reached within 29 miles of Sedan as U S First Army pressed to hold Bastogne and Echternach amid heavy fighting. Patton’s Third Army slowed Rundstedt’s forces. Russians claim major tank losses as winter fronts freeze. Italian front sees gains around Faenza and Bologna while Greek EDES rebels clash with ELAS under British mediation.
Christmas trees flown by navy air transport bring home touch to Tonely Island outposts west of Pearl Harbor. Air cargo spared for high priority traffic was used. trees average 15 feet tall and 25 pounds each to boost morale among sailors.
Portsmouth joins the Christian world in Christmas observance on Monday. Stores close and navy yard suspends work, while the post office handles only gift parcels and special delivery to allow staff to celebrate with families. Regular mail will be delivered by midnight tonight. the Herald will not publish Monday.
Washington reports a reduction in output of passenger car casings. "A" card motorists face long denial of new tires with possible eligibility only late in 1945. Curtailment also reduces tire allocations for "B" and "C" card holders, easing none of the prior plans.
A Christmas ceremony at Camp Langdon offices saw battery and company representatives accept gifts for every man stationed with the harbor defenses. Gifts from New Hampshire groups, including the American Red Cross, will ensure at least one present for each service member.
Boston police responded to a disturbance at Blue Hill avenue and Charlotte street after a telephone report of a man screaming. Officers exchanged gunfire with Harry Chin, tear gas was used to flush him from a basement, he surrendered with a partially loaded revolver and was detained.
The Selective Service announces no inductions, pre-induction physicals, or transfers during the holiday period. The notice comes as defense offices rest over the season. The report also notes the commissioning of USS Topeka in Boston, named for Kansas capital Topeka.
New York report from December 23, 1944 mocks official reasons for cigaret scarcity. Writers question bureaucratic excuses while noting 1944 production was high yet shortages persisted, including king size cigarettes. The piece laments wartime rationing and reader frustration.
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