Swedish Handmade Sweater and Naval buttons

2010.05.1

• Buttons and sweater both belonged to my great uncle Ed.
• He served in the Pacific during the war. He bought the sweater as a gift for his wife.
• The sweater was handmade in Sweden.
• The buttons were made in Waterbury, Connecticut by the Scovill MFG co. for the Navy.

Arisaka Type 30 Bayonet

2010.30.3

• This bayonet was manufactured by Toyoda Jidoshoki Seisakusho (Toyoda Automatic Loom Works). It was not made by the car company Toyota.
• It is found mounted on an Arisaka model 38 or model 99 rifles.
• My dad bought it from a man in NY.
• He was told that it was taken from a Japanese soldier after the Battle of Okinawa.       

-Cody Mallory

WW2 FUZE M228 Practice Hand Grenade

2010.04.1

• This grenade is an M61 design that the Americans used for practice during WW2
• It did not have powder in it and was not intended to explode
• It was bought at a WW2 antique shop

Army Canteen

2010.16.1

• This is my grandfather’s (Walter Carr) WWII canteen.
• He used this canteen to drink from, and the cup to drink and
•  eat from.
• This is a government issued canteen that was made by the
• U.S L.F. & C.
• My grandfather worked for the heavy automotive maintenance company.
• He engraved each place that he went with the army.
• Each engraving is hand done using a pocket knife.
• The dents are from while at the rest room some “coward” came along and used my grandfather’s canteen as a hammer, he was very unhappy because it ruined some of the engraving.
  - Robbie Carr

•  Sam Clay Whiskey Bottle

Glass Insulator

2010.20.2

• Made by Brookfield manufacturing.
• The style that this insulator is was invented by Louis A. Cauvet.
• Glass insulators were used to connect power lines to buildings.
• Glass insulators blocked the electrical current from the wires to the ground, without them the current would flow into the ground.
• Used in war for communication using telephones and telegraphs.

 

-Izzy Steucek

Heart Shaped Locket

2010.34

• The locket belongs to my grandmother, Patty Schwartz.
• She got it from her father who went to work on airplanes in Detroit.
• He was gone for two years and he missed her so much that while he was in Detroit he sent the locket to her.
• He was too old to be drafted so he was sent to Detroit to work for the war.

-Taylor Schwartz

“Harry Danning Model” Catcher’s Mitt

2010.47.2

• Harry Danning was a star in the Jewish Baseball League.

• His career ended shortly before the war started.

• Major League catcher and U.S. spy Moe Berg used a glove of the same brand.
• This catcher’s mitt used to belong to my father’s friend Joe Brewer.
• My father, Joe Ritzo, was always very interested in baseball, especially catching.

WWII “Ammo” Box

2010.79.6

• This box was manufactured by the Artcraft Company.
• This WWII ammo box belongs to my brother. My brother collects WWII artifacts as a hobby.
• He found this artifact while searching for things to add to his collection.
• This ammo box was used to hold ammunition for machine guns during WWII.

-Christina LaMontagne

Pennants

   Polio Vaccination Syringe

2010.90.8

• The syringe belongs to my grandmother Ann Sweeney

• She used this syringe for a polio vaccination

• She had a brother who had polio and it was mandatory to take the vaccination so it would not spread.

• Ann Sweeney was only a child, when her brother got polio. She had to take the vaccine and burn every house hold item to distinguish the disease.

    - Tyler Dewsnap

Japanese Jacket

2010.91

• This jacket belonged to a family friend Bert Condon.
• He served on a ship in the Pacific.
• He was deployed overseas.
• He joined the war because he felt that he was needed to fight.
• He had this jacket specially made to have as a souvenir. 

American Red Cross Uniform

2010.43.0

• The uniform belonged to my great grandmother Gladys Reck.
• She served in New Jersey as a first aid instructor.
• She never served over seas.
• Gladys Reck wanted to be involved in the war effort but she didn’t want to be near any battles so she joined the Red Cross in New Jersey. She became a very experienced first aid instructor.

-Austin Helm

Navy Uniform

#2010.15

• This uniform belonged to my great grandfather seaman 1st class Arthur Pettis.
• He was on the U.S.S Missouri when the peace treaty was signed.
• My grandmother received the uniform because he died and my grandmother gave it to my mom.

WWII Medals & Ribbons

2010.01

• The medals belonged to my great grandfather Rudolf Armond Rotollo.
• His ship was sunk by Japanese aircraft and he spent three days in the water until a passing ship saved him.
• He was awarded the Purple Heart for surviving the boat sinking.
• After returning to America, he resigned the Navy and lived the rest of his life with his wife and kids.

Japanese Printed Pesos

2010.17.1

• This money was printed in the Philippines, when he Japanese occupied them.
• The two of these items together our worth about three or four American dollars.
• The reason I have these is because my Great-Grandfather served in the Philippines in WWII. He brought them back as gifts for his children. So my Grandma kept them all these years and gave them to me as a memorabilia to WWII.

-Logan Conant

Assorted Pins

2010.38

• Pins are mostly from the Army branch of the service.
• They came from my grandmother who sells them in her store.
• The pins indicate the rank of a person or the job that the person performed.
• The pins with more detail signify a higher rank.