Saluting the WWII Veterans of Worcester Public Library

 

Worcester Telegram, December 10, 1944

You may not know this but Worcester Public Library had a proud tradition of service in the Second World War, both overseas and in special duties on the home front. As seen in previous blog posts, our librarians have been busy examining interesting items from our Worcester Room and Local History collections relating to Worcester Public Library. Today we would like to share some of Worcester Public Library's World War II history with images from our library scrapbooks and Staff Association newsletters. 

Worcester Public Library (then known as Worcester Free Public Library) supported the war efforts on the home front in a variety of ways. First of all, the library assisted with collecting books for armed service members first through the Victory Book Campaign and later through the Worcester Civitan Club's book drive for the Massachusetts Victory Book Committee. 

Worcester Evening Gazette, date unknown

When several of the employees went off to war, others stepped up to the plate. For instance, women took on the responsibility of driving our bookmobile or "traveling library" when Alfred C. Cote, the former driver, was inducted into the U.S. Army.

Worcester Telegram, July 1, 1943

Worcester Telegram, July 21, 1943

Our head librarian at the time, Emerson Greenaway, acted as chairman of the Civil Defense Library Service for our region of Massachusetts. Worcester Public Library served as the region's central civilian defense library and as such, librarians created a special Civilian Defense collection and relevant booklists. Subjects included camouflage, defense gardening, civilian morale, rationing, and more. Several librarians also attended Air Raid Precaution classes to keep their branches safe in the event of an air raid. 

Finally, our library's Staff Association contributed to improving staff morale by creating a quarterly newsletter known as The Grapevine. Employees in Worcester and those serving their country enjoyed this newsletter from March 1941 until publication ended in 1945. 

The Grapevine, Spring 1944

By the end of the war, approximately 50 current and former library employees had actively served in the military or affiliated civil service positions. Even though the vast majority who served were men, several of our female employees took positions in the WAVES (the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service a.k.a. the women's division of the U.S Navy), including Helen D. Hutchinson, the head of the adult department at Worcester Public Library. Other librarians such as Josephine A. Kasheta, assistant in the reference department at Worcester Public Library; and Alice M. Cahill, formerly the head of children's work at the Billings Square branch; served as U.S. Army camp librarians at Camp Edwards and Fort Devens respectively and later set up base libraries in Europe. According to the final edition of The Grapevine from 1945, Josephine A. Kasheta eventually became Command Librarian in charge of 13 libraries in Germany!

"Ensign," Worcester Telegram, September 26, 1943

"Camp Librarian," Worcester Evening Gazette, September 24, 1942
"Another WAVE," date and publication unknown

The following images are from various issues of The Grapevine and share updates from the war front.

The Grapevine Winter 1943

The Grapevine Winter 1943

The Grapevine Final Edition 1945

The Grapevine Final Edition 1945

The Grapevine Final Edition 1945

The Grapevine Final Edition 1945

Sadly, at least one former library employee was killed in action during the war. First Lieutenant Hudson F. Packard, a fighter pilot with the 357th Fighter Squadron 355th Fighter Group, was shot down over Germany in May 1944. He is buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium.

Several library employees returned to work after the war, including Helen M. Hutchinson and our bookmobile drivers, Jeremiah G. Glavin and Alfred C. Cote.

On this Veterans Day, we salute the employees of Worcester Public Library who served in World War II, as well as remember those who supported our library veterans here at home. Thank you veterans!

Read more:

"Bookmobile Driver to Resume Law Work." (1946, October 2). Worcester Evening Gazette.

"Camp Librarian." (1942, September 24). Worcester Evening Gazette.

"Driver and 'Gas' Crises Threaten Bookmobile." (1943, July 1). Worcester Telegram.

"Ensign."(1943, September 26). Worcester Telegram.

"Miss Hutchinson Rejoins Library Staff Sept. 1."(1945, August 6). Worcester Telegram.

Stedman, Dorothy. (1942, March 22). "Civilian Defense Library Set Up." Worcester Telegram. 

Stedman, Dorothy. (1944, December 10). Library Exhibits Photos of Employes in Service." Worcester Telegram.

Thompson, Rose. (1943, July 21). "Bookmobile's Women Drivers Like Their Job." Worcester Telegram.

Worcester Public Library Staff Association. (Winter 1943). The Grapevine.

Worcester Public Library Staff Association. (Spring 1944). The Grapevine.

Worcester Public Library Staff Association. (Final Edition 1945). The Grapevine.