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Even though his full name was Joe Hill Hammond, throughout his life, most of our family and friends called him "Hill". He was named for two of his father's brothers. It was only much later that a few friends or acquaintances called him "Joe". This was maybe because it was his first name. And at places like a Doctor's office, or clinic, the staff read it as written, first name first, and announced it that way. I'm going to label any photos of him as "Hill" on this site, but I'm not sure what his unit called him, probably just "Hammond". And for many of the men in the photos that I have not yet identified, I began using a label of "U" and a number. That's just for my own tracking, and hopefully, only until I eventually verify names and faces.) I'm still working on that system and attempting to coordinate the numbers I have on a group photo for each person.
He was born October 18, 1926 in the Chelsea community, near Menlo, Georgia. He was the youngest of nine children of George "Harrison" and "Ella" Strickland Hammond. He had 3 older brothers: George (2 yrs older), Rob (12 yrs older) and Kelly V (15 yrs older). And there were 5 older sisters: Aliene (19 yrs older), Annie Myrtle (17 yrs older), Ruby (10 yrs older), Sibyl (7 yrs older), and Lucy (5 Yrs older).
In this photo from about 1940, he's on the right and his buddy, David Shropshire (left), as young teens on their bikes in Summerville, Georgia. Those bikes were their prized possessions, not only for providing fun with friends, but more importantly a way to earn money during tough times of the 1940's. One job was delivering the local area newspapers, like The Chattanooga News-Free Press and the Rome News-Tribune. Even though Summerville only had about 1300 total, he met and got to know just about everybody in town.
By mid 1943, many of the local boys and men had already enlisted in the Army. His brother George, just 2 years older, had already joined. He told me that he also wanted to help provide some financial help for his mother. So with her permission, and some local subterfuge from the Draft Board Registrar, Miss Mae Earl Strange, he was registered on August 9, 1943. Seems that when Miss Strange completed his Sel. Ser. Registration Form, they entered that same Aug 9, 1925 date as his birthday. (Years later, when I found his Discharge form, I wondered why his birth date was listed as Aug 9, 1943. Now I knew why.) He was then inducted into the U.S. Army on September 7, 1943 in Summerville, Georgia.
So at just 16, almost 17, he got to go ahead and join. And on the assigned date, he and a few other friends met in front of the Chattooga County courthouse to be picked up for their bus ride from Summerville to Ft. McPherson, Georgia.
His papers show he entered active duty on September 28, 1943.
His Serial Number was 34 828 121.
He recalled to me that his hometown friends Edward Bush and Charles McGinnis were with him. There also was a guy named Kellett who was from the county. His friend Edward was then sent to another location for basic, and then got into a paratrooper unit that had training elsewhere.
Fort McPherson, Atlanta, GA
He said they were only at "Fort Mac" a few days, before being transported to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training.
According to the 841st History, "on October 3rd the first contingent of our future comrades and buddies arrived from Fort McPherson, Georgia - a great crew, all kinds of boys and men; some red cheeked, unacquainted with a razor, timid, awed and terrifically homesick - mere children; others, men with families - men with ability, background, stable, substantial citizens, not timid or awed, rather skeptical and filled with doubts. We had no more bedded these men down, so to speak, when the second and last group, from the same fort arrived, October 7th." I'm guessing that my Dad was one of those "red-cheeked boys, unacquainted with a razor" since he was just turning 17.
He remembered that he got a 3-day pass after about a month.
And in January of 1944, just three months before being shipped overseas, he and my Mother, Hannah Money, were married on 22 January 1944 in Rossville, Georgia.
SS Mataroa
He said that after their basic training was completed at Fort Knox, his unit (the 841st) was sent to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. I understand that Camp Kilmer had been activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York embarkation area. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in preparation for transport to the European Theater . According to his Discharge papers, his unit departed for England on 12 April 1944 and arrived there on 27 April 1944. According to my Dad, they were only at Camp Kilmer a few days before going to New York and boarding an older British ship. At that time, he didn't remember the name of this ship, but did say how bad the food was, and how many of the guys threw plates and all overboard. He described how they tried to sleep in their swinging hammocks down below, and because they were in close quarters, they kept hitting each other, or one of the support posts. And now since writing this, I have discovered that this ship was the SS Mataroa (R.M.S. Mataroa). She had a varied and important sea history. She was launched by Harland & Wolff at Belfast (as was the Titanic). But she began in 1922, as the Diogenes for the Aberdeen Line, and then renamed the Mataroa, making trips from England to New Zealand and Australia for several years. During WWII as a British troop ship (and in April 1944), her Purser was Herbert Pitman, who had been the Third Officer on the Titanic, had survived, and later continued his career with other shipping lines. See this link about her history and service: Mataroa
In his stories, my Dad said he thought the ship docked in Bath, England, but I now understand it was Bristol, not far from Bath. And then his unit "happily" boarded a train and were taken to a nearby base, which I now believe was at Devizes. He didn't remember the base's name, but he did remember that they were all grateful to finally eat good food and have hot showers. And he remembered an airfield, either there on that base, or very nearby, with glider planes, and maybe a grassy runway. The company was initially located in barracks grouped together and located near the Mess Hall and Latrines and Showers. But bicycles became the vehicle of choice for movement all around the base and the town. He spoke often of the bikes in England. And there is a photo of the company Cook, SSgt. Wolfe on a bicycle. They were based there for several weeks, along with other units, all in preparation for the impending "Invasion" (whose date was not yet known). They may have relocated over to another British base for a few weeks of further training, and then returned to Devizes....all prior to their departure.
As I learn more about the specific details during this time, and their operation of support and supply, I will expand this, from crossing into France at Utah Beach, and onward, and finally returning to the States.
SS Manhatten became the USS Wakefield
According to his Discgarge papers, he departed Europe on 12 July 1945 and arrived back to the U.S. in 27 July 1945.
He told me he came back on the Wakefield. And he stressed the difference between "the ship he went over on" and "the one he came back on". In now researching this, I have found several references for the USS Wakefield (AP-21) . It was a troop transport that served with the US Navy during World War II. Prior to her war service, she operated as the luxury ocean liner SS Manhattan. See these links about her history and service: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Wakefield_AP-21.jpg and http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22021.htm
The Wakefield made 23 round trips in the Atlantic theater, and three in the Pacific. Between 13 April 1944 and 1 February 1946, the USS Wakefield transported 110,563 troops to Europe and brought some 106,674 men back to America - a total of 217,237 passengers.
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