Bytes: Miscellany

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American troops going home:

American troops on the way home to New York Harbour after V Day in WW2. Ships transported troops for months after V Day. And you thought you have trouble getting to the bathroom in the mornings.

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Hobo nickel:

I have previously written about hobo nickels, being the carving of coins and so named because it was once popular with hobos who carved the coins as a low cost and portable activity, the US nickel being favoured because of its size, thickness and softness. A great modern day practitioner is Russian artist Roman Booteen, here is his latest work:

The carved face of the US one dollar coin (I wonder whether it is a criminal offence to destroy or damage currency, as it is here in Oz)

The back of the coin.

Note the sword on the hip of the knight and that there is a gap at the top of the coin.

The tiny sword is removable.

The sword is then able to be inserted in the gap at the top.

When fully inserted, the door lifts to reveal the Holy Grail.

Click on the following link, then play the video of the above:

https://mashable.com/article/roman-booteen-coin-hidden-feature/#z3OztwMYaaqU

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Noel and Hitch:

Son in law Thomas and bride Jess, now returned from their honeymoon, spent a few days in Canberra with Thomas’s grandfather Noel, who is now a sprightly 92. He has been previously mentioned in Bytes, is still living independently at home, driving, studying and being active. He is also an avid Bytes reader, so here’s to you Nellie (as his daughters sometimes call him).

Noel with Thomas and Jess’s German Shepherd Hitch, named after Christopher Hitchens

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Another WW2 story:

From Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_J._Baggett :

Owen John Baggett (1920 – 2006) was a second lieutenant in the United States 7th Bomb Group based at Pandaveswar, in India, during the Second World War.

On March 31, 1943, while stationed in British India, Baggett's squadron, part of the 7th Bombardment Group, was ordered to destroy a bridge at Pyinmana, Burma. Before reaching their target, the 12 B-24s of 7th BG were intercepted by 13 Ki-43 fighters of 64 Sentai IJAAS. Baggett's plane was severely damaged and was set on fire by several hits to the fuel tanks, and the crew was forced to bail out. The aircrew escaped the crippled B-24 merely seconds before the bomber exploded. Japanese pilots then attacked U.S. airmen as they parachuted to earth. Two of Baggett's fellow crew members were killed. (Contrary to sources stating that the pilot, Lloyd K. Jensen was "summarily executed", Jensen survived the war. Baggett, who was wounded, played dead, hoping that the Japanese pilots would ignore him. One Zero fighter approached close to Baggett, slowed and the pilot opened his canopy. Baggett drew his M1911 pistol, fired four shots at the pilot and watched as the plane stalled and plunged toward the ground.

While Baggett later achieved fame as the only person to shoot down an aircraft with a pistol, this was contradicted by Japanese wartime records, which indicate that no Japanese pilots were lost in that particular action.

Baggett survived the descent and was captured by Japanese ground forces. He remained a prisoner for the rest of the war. Baggett and 37 other POWs were liberated at the war's end by eight OSS agents who parachuted into Singapore.

Picture of Owen J Baggett, shooting down a Japanese aircraft with an M1911 pistol.

Some further points:

The Japanese denial has not stood up to scrutiny, see:

https://www.truthorfiction.com/owen-john-baggett-killed-japanese-pilot-mid-air/

While he was assigned to Mitchel Air Force Base, Baggett was noted for his work with children. Baggett retired from the Air Force as a colonel and later worked as a defence contractor manager.

His obituary contains the following:

He received some fame for shooting down a Japanese Zero with a revolver while hanging from a parachute after his B-24 bomber was shot down, and he subsequently spent 2-1/2 years as a Prisoner of War at Changi prison camp in Rangoon, Burma during World War II. The essence of the man, however, is that he survived the horrors of war and his internment without bitterness or hatred. Enduring starvation and torture showed the strength of his body, but it is by his forgiveness of his tormentors that truly reveals the strength of his soul.

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Gallery:

Ghandi as a young lawyer.

Marilyn Monroe, age 12

Confiscated bootlerg beer barrels during Prohibition, to be burned later. But how did they stck them? And would you sit at the base?

Titanic chain

1919, Stacks of lumber drying, Seattle The Cedar Lumber Manufacturing Company’s mill, located just west of the Ballard Bridge, was the largest in Ballard.