On this date, a few years ago, Buster was blessed with a baby girl, Sandra.
In the photograph below,with Margaret, it is spring, and she would be just a couple months old.
Happy Birthday!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sandra's Birthday
In the photograph below,with Margaret, it is spring, and she would be just a couple months old.
Happy Birthday!!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
OBIT.
Norman T. Allday
GROVE HILL - Norman T. Allday, who had worked as an auto mechanic for the Alabama Highway Department, died Monday at a hospital in Grove Hill. He was 83.
Allday, a native of Winn, Ala., was a resident of Grove Hill and was a member of Hebron United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Bridges Allday; two daughters, Sandra Franklin of Luverne, Ala., and Lynne Hill of La Grange, Ga.; two sons, Ivan Allday of Linden, Ala., and Sammy Allday of Grove Hill; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services are set for 11 a.m. today at Lathan Funeral Home in Grove Hill, with visitation one hour prior to services. Burial will be in Magnolia Lawn Cemetery in Grove Hill.
Memorials may be made to Hebron United Methodist Church.
GROVE HILL - Norman T. Allday, who had worked as an auto mechanic for the Alabama Highway Department, died Monday at a hospital in Grove Hill. He was 83.
Allday, a native of Winn, Ala., was a resident of Grove Hill and was a member of Hebron United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Bridges Allday; two daughters, Sandra Franklin of Luverne, Ala., and Lynne Hill of La Grange, Ga.; two sons, Ivan Allday of Linden, Ala., and Sammy Allday of Grove Hill; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services are set for 11 a.m. today at Lathan Funeral Home in Grove Hill, with visitation one hour prior to services. Burial will be in Magnolia Lawn Cemetery in Grove Hill.
Memorials may be made to Hebron United Methodist Church.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Lady in Libia
Libia "Sweet Remembrance" Dolci Rimembranze
---N. Africa. Tripoli. (Italian?) Waterfall behind Lady.
Some type of "hand-out" photo? Ideas anyone?
Aula e Bragoni appears to be the publisher. More cards/pics are found with a quick google.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thinking about Gran
Margaret Bridges Allday
Today Gran fell and broke her hip. When we saw her last week she looked so good and was getting around so well with out her cane. This will be her second broken hip. She broke the first one over 20 years ago when she was still teaching school. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Today Gran fell and broke her hip. When we saw her last week she looked so good and was getting around so well with out her cane. This will be her second broken hip. She broke the first one over 20 years ago when she was still teaching school. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Sunday, November 25, 2007
Bridge
Photo taken by Buster of Bridge. It looks to be a draw bridge of sorts with slum looking surroundings. The boat vessels appear to double as homes. There is a table to the right and a typical 40's style car to the left of the bridge. Place unknown. Can anyone identify this bridge?British Ship
British Ship surrounded by small gondola like boats. This tiny photo was taken by Buster and appears to be in Italy. You can click on all the photos and it will allow you to zoom in to see more detail.Thursday, November 22, 2007
Group
Photo Taken by Buster appears to be in North Africa.
*note* The second man from the right on the back row has an odd resemblance to George H.W. Bush.
Paw and Gran
Gran said this picture was taken 3 days after they married across the street where her brother, Tom, lived.
Building a runway
The grader has is labeled 815. In the background the men are laying out the metal for the runway. 
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Metals Received
Silver Stara. The Silver Star, section 3746, title 10, United States Code (10 USC 3746), was established by Act of Congress 9 July 1918 (amended by act of 25 July 1963).
b. The Silver Star is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The required gallantry, while of a lesser degree than that required for the Distinguished Service Cross, must nevertheless have been performed with marked distinction.
c. It is awarded upon letter application to Commander, PERSCOM, ATTN: TAPC-PDA, Alexandria, VA 22332-0471, to those individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army, received a citation for gallantry in action in World War I published in orders issued by a headquarters commanded by a general officer.
Bronze Star Medal
a. The Bronze Star Medal was established by Executive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962).
b. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Army of the United States after 6 December 1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy; or while engaged in military operations
involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.c. Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star.
d. The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded for meritorious achievement or meritorious service according to the following:
(1) Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The lesser degree than that required for the award of the Legion of Merit must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction.
(2) Award may be made by letter application to Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200 (enclosing documentary evidence, if possible), to each member of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 6 December 1941, has been cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat against an armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945, inclusive, or whose meritorious achievement has been other wise confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 July 1947. For this purpose, an award of the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge is considered as a citation in orders. Documents executed since 4 August 1944 in connection with recommendations for the award of decorations of higher degree than the Bronze Star Medal will not be used as the basis for an award under this paragraph.
(3) Upon letter application, award of the Bronze Star Medal may be made to eligible soldiers who participated in the Philippine Islands Campaign between 7 December 1941 to 10 May 1942. Performance of duty must have been on the island of Luzon or the Harbor Defenses in Corregidor and Bataan. Only soldiers who were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (Presidential Unit Citation) may be awarded this decoration. Letter application should be sent to the Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.
The Question now is ...................... How did he earn these metals? Anyone???
http://www.americal.org/awards/achv-svc.htm
Where Did He Go ?
View Larger Map
Jen & Todd,
I called Grandma. She found Grandpa's discharge papers. He was in Company B of the 815 Engineers. He departed the US on June 4, 1942 and landed in Glasgow, Scotland on June 9, 1942. These are the places listed on his discharge papers: Algeria, French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Air Offensive Europe,
GO33WD45, Naples, Foggia, Rome, Arno, Northern Apennines, GO40WD45. He received the European African
Eastern Service Metal, 1 Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Metal....then grandma got to rambling....about her phone being out of order.
Joe told me that he had a friend whose brother was a pilot and since Daddy's outfit built runways he had access to the planes after the runways were completed. He and some of his buddies bribed this pilot to take them back to England for a day or two and on the way, they were stowaways on the plane, and were diverted to participate in the Anzio Invasion.
Mother, at one time had some things he brought home with him. One that I remember that he treasured was a silver letter opener with a copy of a statue on the end of it. The statue was of a little boy peeing. Leave it to PaPa!
He ran a road grader and was a mechanic for his Company as well as cook. Grandma has a picture of him when he overturned his grader and
Mt. Vesuvius is in the background. He was near Pompeii at the time. He broke his arm during the accident and it shows him with his arm in a cast.
I can remember him telling that his outfit would go in behind the lines and build the runways for the planes to land prior to a major invasion.
Love,
Mom
Saturday, September 29, 2007
815th 's Cliff Notes
Norman T. Allday was assigned to the 815th Engineers.
815th 's Brief History ( some of this does not quite match up with the information we have on Buster)
WWII
After the start of WWII US military planners scrambled to get a force in the field to defeat the Axis Powers. In addition to combat ground troops, heavy emphasis was placed on US Army Air Corps requirements - air power was needed to break the enemy's tenacious grip around the world. Forward airfield construction would be a high priority item when the air forces were deployed overseas.
Among the numerous units activated after Pearl Harbor was the 815th Engineer Aviation Battalion. Charged with the primary mission of airfield construction and maintenance, the 815th was activated at Jackson Army Air Base, Mississippi on 21Jan1942. After filling initial manpower and training requirements it moved to New York, departing for England on 3Jun1942, arriving on 9Jun1942. After more training, and possibly some construction activity in support of the 8th Air force build up in England, the 815th departed England and arrived in North Africa on 8Nov1942 in support of the US landings there. This was the US Army's baptism of fire against Axis and Vichy French troops.
The 815th landed at Oran as part of Operation Torch's center invasion force and performed airfield repair and construction tasks.
The 815th Engineer Aviation Battalion would go on to particpate in seven African and European military campaigns:
Algeria Nov 1942
Tunisia Nov 1942 - May 1943
Sicily July 1943 - Aug 1943
Naples-Fogia Sep 1943 - Jan 1944
Anzio Jan 1944 - May 1944
Rome-Arno Jan 1944 - Sep 1944
Northern Appenines Sep 1944 - Apr 1945 (northern Italy)
At the end of hostilities in Europe the 815th departed Italy for the US on 25May1945, destined for Geiger Army Air Field, Washington. With the surrender of the Japanese in Sep1945 the 815th was deactivated at Geiger Field on 22Sep1945.
**Because of the 815th's location on the Pacific coast at the time of its deactivation it may be correct to assume it had been earmarked for the invasion of Japan. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb attacks and subsequent formal surrender of Japanese forces negated the need for a military invasion of the Japanese home islands.
The above dates are from Shelby Stanton's Order of Battle - US Army World War II
This information is copy and pasted from the web page below. I just did not post the link, because over time web sites are removed and the links no longer work. The information belongs to the link.
http://groups.msn.com/815thengineers/history1.msnw
815th 's Brief History ( some of this does not quite match up with the information we have on Buster)
WWII
After the start of WWII US military planners scrambled to get a force in the field to defeat the Axis Powers. In addition to combat ground troops, heavy emphasis was placed on US Army Air Corps requirements - air power was needed to break the enemy's tenacious grip around the world. Forward airfield construction would be a high priority item when the air forces were deployed overseas.
Among the numerous units activated after Pearl Harbor was the 815th Engineer Aviation Battalion. Charged with the primary mission of airfield construction and maintenance, the 815th was activated at Jackson Army Air Base, Mississippi on 21Jan1942. After filling initial manpower and training requirements it moved to New York, departing for England on 3Jun1942, arriving on 9Jun1942. After more training, and possibly some construction activity in support of the 8th Air force build up in England, the 815th departed England and arrived in North Africa on 8Nov1942 in support of the US landings there. This was the US Army's baptism of fire against Axis and Vichy French troops.
The 815th landed at Oran as part of Operation Torch's center invasion force and performed airfield repair and construction tasks.
The 815th Engineer Aviation Battalion would go on to particpate in seven African and European military campaigns:
Algeria Nov 1942
Tunisia Nov 1942 - May 1943
Sicily July 1943 - Aug 1943
Naples-Fogia Sep 1943 - Jan 1944
Anzio Jan 1944 - May 1944
Rome-Arno Jan 1944 - Sep 1944
Northern Appenines Sep 1944 - Apr 1945 (northern Italy)
At the end of hostilities in Europe the 815th departed Italy for the US on 25May1945, destined for Geiger Army Air Field, Washington. With the surrender of the Japanese in Sep1945 the 815th was deactivated at Geiger Field on 22Sep1945.
**Because of the 815th's location on the Pacific coast at the time of its deactivation it may be correct to assume it had been earmarked for the invasion of Japan. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb attacks and subsequent formal surrender of Japanese forces negated the need for a military invasion of the Japanese home islands.
The above dates are from Shelby Stanton's Order of Battle - US Army World War II
This information is copy and pasted from the web page below. I just did not post the link, because over time web sites are removed and the links no longer work. The information belongs to the link.
http://groups.msn.com/815thengineers/history1.msnw
Biographical Sketch
Buster was the seventh child born to Norman A. and Julia Ann McVay Allday. He arrived on November 15, 1915 in Winn, Alabama, and was named Norman Troy Allday. In the beginning he was known by his middle name, Troy. Later in life he became, "Buster". His siblings included (in birth order) Nettie, a sister; Lee, a brother; Minnie(in photo), a sister; Vaughan, a brother; Alva, a
sister; and Valda, a sister.
sister; and Valda, a sister.
His was a farming family. His father came to Alabama from South Carolina
and homesteaded his first 40 acres. Today we know it as the old Murphy place. Then the young family purchased land (approximately 250 acres) in Winn, Alabama. At age 13 months his father broke his back in a logging accident and was a paraplegic until his death 19 years later.
Realizing the need for his family to be nearer a town, Norman A. sold the timber from the Winn
land. Then he sold the house and acreage. The family lived for a short time at the Lowery Place while making arrangements to purchased what was then known as the Sutt Wilson place which was in foreclosure and up for public auction at the courthouse in Grove Hill. The Sutt Wilson place consisted of a large house which was out near the big pear tree that was in the field behind
Mama's of today, a smaller house (Mama's house), a barn and over 700 acres. (I can remember the old foundation and limestone from the chimney's being in the field. I was five when we move to Mama's house. Aunt Valda said the big house burned. )
This farm was on the road between Coffeeville and Grove Hill at New Clarkesville. (Clarkesville at one time was the County Seat of Clarke County.) The old house where Grandma lives today was once a rest stop between the two towns.
I have heard Mama tell that Grandma Julie would say, "Norman sold the place in Winn so he could buy the planation". She did not say plantation.
Being unable to attend the auction, Grandpa Allday entrusted a well respected man in the community, a Mr. Charlie Baxley, to go bid on the property for him. After the purchase was completed, young Buster and his sister, Valda, were sent from the Lowery Place to the newly purchased house and land with a broom, mop and a bucket of water to clean up the new place so the family could move. Young Buster was approximately 7 years old at this time.
Prior to the move, he and his sisters were on their way to the Lowery School House. (His formal education consisted of completing no more than the seventh grade.) Buster stepped over a log and a "ground rattler", as he called it, bit him on the ankle. I can remember him telling how big his leg swelled, that he was treated with turpentine being poured on the wound and that the flesh rotted away. He always had an indention on that spot and he would ask, "Do you want to see where I got snake bit?" Mama told the story of how Grandma Julie sent for the local medicine woman, Georgie Todd. Georgie came and killed a chicken and put Daddy's foot inside the freshly killed chicken for the chicken to draw the poison from the snake bite. She said that Daddy would say, "That chicken liver turned green." Sounds kind-a-like Voodoo to me. But it worked.
The growing up years are vague. Mama has said many times Grandma Julie would tell her that she was so busy when Buster was growing that she would go for days without realizing he was around. ...Can you just imagine having a paralyzed husband, children, and over 700 acres to care for... no wonder Minnie called her crazy Julie. I do know that he told about getting into fights, being arrested. (Joe has told me that he would say, "Joe, just go look on those old books at the courthouse. My name is on some of them").
Realizing the need for his family to be nearer a town, Norman A. sold the timber from the Winn
land. Then he sold the house and acreage. The family lived for a short time at the Lowery Place while making arrangements to purchased what was then known as the Sutt Wilson place which was in foreclosure and up for public auction at the courthouse in Grove Hill. The Sutt Wilson place consisted of a large house which was out near the big pear tree that was in the field behind
Mama's of today, a smaller house (Mama's house), a barn and over 700 acres. (I can remember the old foundation and limestone from the chimney's being in the field. I was five when we move to Mama's house. Aunt Valda said the big house burned. )
This farm was on the road between Coffeeville and Grove Hill at New Clarkesville. (Clarkesville at one time was the County Seat of Clarke County.) The old house where Grandma lives today was once a rest stop between the two towns.
I have heard Mama tell that Grandma Julie would say, "Norman sold the place in Winn so he could buy the planation". She did not say plantation.
Being unable to attend the auction, Grandpa Allday entrusted a well respected man in the community, a Mr. Charlie Baxley, to go bid on the property for him. After the purchase was completed, young Buster and his sister, Valda, were sent from the Lowery Place to the newly purchased house and land with a broom, mop and a bucket of water to clean up the new place so the family could move. Young Buster was approximately 7 years old at this time.
Prior to the move, he and his sisters were on their way to the Lowery School House. (His formal education consisted of completing no more than the seventh grade.) Buster stepped over a log and a "ground rattler", as he called it, bit him on the ankle. I can remember him telling how big his leg swelled, that he was treated with turpentine being poured on the wound and that the flesh rotted away. He always had an indention on that spot and he would ask, "Do you want to see where I got snake bit?" Mama told the story of how Grandma Julie sent for the local medicine woman, Georgie Todd. Georgie came and killed a chicken and put Daddy's foot inside the freshly killed chicken for the chicken to draw the poison from the snake bite. She said that Daddy would say, "That chicken liver turned green." Sounds kind-a-like Voodoo to me. But it worked.
The growing up years are vague. Mama has said many times Grandma Julie would tell her that she was so busy when Buster was growing that she would go for days without realizing he was around. ...Can you just imagine having a paralyzed husband, children, and over 700 acres to care for... no wonder Minnie called her crazy Julie. I do know that he told about getting into fights, being arrested. (Joe has told me that he would say, "Joe, just go look on those old books at the courthouse. My name is on some of them").
This was the Roosevelt Era and a part of the New Deal was the development of a program called the CCC's. Buster joined up. (A move which probably kept him out of Kilby, the prison in Alabama at that time.) He was stationed at the CC Camp at Daleville, Alabama. There he learned to cook. ...remember the ribs!
After two years in the CCC's he went to Alberta, Alabama and lived with his sister, Nettie and her husband, Forest. Forest ran a garage and there Buster got his first experience mechanicing.
He was sitting there on a bench in front of the service station/garage on a hot sunny summer afternoon in 1940 when he met his future wife, Margaret. Margaret, her brother, JB and Dot Shumate, a cousin, were all going swimming at Laird's pond. Buster asked, "Where ya'll going".
JB said, "Swimming, wanta come along?" He got his swimming suit and went along. While
at the pond they were playing on inner tubes, Buster caught his swim suit on the valve stem of the inner tube tearing a hole in the seat of his swimming trunks....this was the beginning of a six year romance culminating in a 50 plus year marriage.
President Roosevelt wanted a trained army. All 19 and 20 years olds were to serve one year.
Buster was due to go for his year beginning on January 22, 1942. But....along comes Pearl Harbor. Mother said that on December 7, 1941, she and Daddy were sitting on the swing on the porch at their house in Safford, Alabama, planning their wedding for a time after he had completed his year of army training. Granddaddy Bridges came to the door and said, "Buster,
looks like you'll be gone more than a year....the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor."
He departed from Camden, Alabama on January 22, 1942 and traveled to Ft. McClellan, Alabama and then on to basic training at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia.
Now that I have got him to the Army. Let Buster's War begin.
He was sitting there on a bench in front of the service station/garage on a hot sunny summer afternoon in 1940 when he met his future wife, Margaret. Margaret, her brother, JB and Dot Shumate, a cousin, were all going swimming at Laird's pond. Buster asked, "Where ya'll going".
JB said, "Swimming, wanta come along?" He got his swimming suit and went along. While
at the pond they were playing on inner tubes, Buster caught his swim suit on the valve stem of the inner tube tearing a hole in the seat of his swimming trunks....this was the beginning of a six year romance culminating in a 50 plus year marriage.
President Roosevelt wanted a trained army. All 19 and 20 years olds were to serve one year.
Buster was due to go for his year beginning on January 22, 1942. But....along comes Pearl Harbor. Mother said that on December 7, 1941, she and Daddy were sitting on the swing on the porch at their house in Safford, Alabama, planning their wedding for a time after he had completed his year of army training. Granddaddy Bridges came to the door and said, "Buster,
looks like you'll be gone more than a year....the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor."
He departed from Camden, Alabama on January 22, 1942 and traveled to Ft. McClellan, Alabama and then on to basic training at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia.
Now that I have got him to the Army. Let Buster's War begin.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Ken Burns did it again.
Ok....He did it again......... Sparked the historian in each of us to do some research and find out even more than what was on his documentary and how the events in history effected our lives and our ancestor's lives..........
So this week.... "The War" was on............once they mentioned, Mobile, North Africa, and Italy..... I thought,,,, My grandpa was there............. So....................... I was hooked.......... and now with the ever addictive Internet, and never ending information, it doesn't take long to get hooked into writing another blog..
Things with this one will be different than my others. The purpose of this Blog is to keep the history of my Grandfathers "adventures" in WWII alive. After all it only takes 3 generations for complete family histories to be lost forever. I am setting this blog up where my mother Sandra, my aunt Lynne, Joe, my cousin Todd, and others can become authors to this site. The site will be a place we can compile the information that we learn and tell the stories that we remember. And a place to post photos, so they are not lost forever.
I am counting on Not being the only author on this site. I am really too busy with the house and work projects. From the past few days of emails, there are already about 10 posts out there in email land. So group lets get to it. WWII was one of the largest events in history and Paw was a part of it.
So this week.... "The War" was on............once they mentioned, Mobile, North Africa, and Italy..... I thought,,,, My grandpa was there............. So....................... I was hooked.......... and now with the ever addictive Internet, and never ending information, it doesn't take long to get hooked into writing another blog..
Things with this one will be different than my others. The purpose of this Blog is to keep the history of my Grandfathers "adventures" in WWII alive. After all it only takes 3 generations for complete family histories to be lost forever. I am setting this blog up where my mother Sandra, my aunt Lynne, Joe, my cousin Todd, and others can become authors to this site. The site will be a place we can compile the information that we learn and tell the stories that we remember. And a place to post photos, so they are not lost forever.
I am counting on Not being the only author on this site. I am really too busy with the house and work projects. From the past few days of emails, there are already about 10 posts out there in email land. So group lets get to it. WWII was one of the largest events in history and Paw was a part of it.
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