Correspondence tells soldier's
tale
BY MEREDITH
HEAGNEY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
On display is a
copy of a post card that Private Duffey sent to his family telling
them he was alive in a German prison camp.
Margaret Welty
holds the Western Union telegram that was sent to Private Duffey's
family telling them their son was missing in action. Gene Carr, Mr.
Duffey's nephew, looks on.
When Ellis Duffey sent a postcard
home from a German prisoner of war camp during World War II, he
wasn't thinking about helping later generations appreciate history.
The Army private first class simply
wanted his parents to know that he was alive. They had received a
telegram from the Army stating he was missing in action.
Margaret Welty, officer in charge
at the Stony Ridge Post Office, made that postcard and telegram part
of a display at the post office as a gesture of appreciation to
veterans. The items were part of a box of war memorabilia that had
belonged to Mr. Duffey, who died in 1991.
Mrs. Welty bought the box of items
at an area barn sale in May. She thought the items would be a vivid
way to bring World War II history to Stony Ridge.
"Whoever saved this accomplished
something," Mrs. Welty said. "They drew attention to all the
wonderful sacrifices these people made."
Before she bought the memorabilia,
Mrs. Welty and co-worker Linda Tamasiunas had planned to honor local
World War II veterans with a window display inspired by the May 29
issuance of the National World War II Memorial postage stamp.
When Mrs. Welty found Mr. Duffey's
belongings, priced at $25, she bought the collection, and soon
became engrossed with its contents.
She began to piece together Mr.
Duffey's war experience.
According to the papers in the box,
Mr. Duffey went overseas in October, 1944. On December 16, 1944, he
was wounded and taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge in the
Ardennes Forest in Belgium.
On Jan. 16, 1945, his parents,
Mabel and Harry Duffey of Pemberville, received a Western Union
telegram: "The Secretary of War regrets to notify you ... that your
son, Pfc. Ellis G. Duffey has been reported missing in action."
After nearly two months of
undoubtedly fearing the worst, the Duffeys received a postcard in
March from their son. He was in a POW camp in Luckenwalde, Germany,
but reported that he was in good health.
Nothing in the collection of
papers, however, indicated that Mr. Duffey ultimately survived the
war. Mrs. Welty felt uncomfortable using the artifacts in the post
office display if he didn't return home. Title paperwork in the box
further concerned her because it showed the transfer of Mr. Duffey's
car to his father's name.
"I was absolutely sure he didn't
come home," Mrs. Welty said.
With little optimism she contacted
Dale Bruning, a Pemberville-area historian who researches the
history of houses and businesses there. Mr. Bruning found Harry
Duffey's obituary from 1951, which listed son Ellis as a survivor.
Mrs. Welty was happy to find out the soldier had returned home after
all.
Mr. Bruning also found out that Mr.
Duffey had a nephew still living in the area, Gene Carr. He was
contacted and came to the post office recently to view the items on
display.
"I felt really proud and elated,"
Mr. Carr said of his uncle, who was awarded a Purple Heart for his
service. "It was really something for something like that to turn up
after all these years."
How the collection ended up at a
barn sale is still a mystery to both Mrs. Welty and Mr. Carr. Nor do
either of them know who in the Duffey family diligently collected
keepsakes of Mr. Duffey's military time.
Mrs. Welty said she planned to take
the World War II display down by this weekend. With Mr. Carr's
approval, she plans to donate Mr. Duffey's artifacts to the
Pemberville-Freedom Area Historical Society. Mrs. Welty said the
display has received a lot of attention from post office patrons.
"If we thank the World War II vets,
maybe our current [soldiers] will know that 60 years from now they
will still be remembered," Mrs. Welty said. |
Page last revised
07/29/2012
