In August 1945, after Germany had surrendered but many
American soldiers were still in Europe, Staff Sergeant George R. Schnitman sent a
postcard to his girlfriend, Rose Silver, in Hartford, Connecticut. The card had
a picture of the “Porta Nigra” (black gate), built by the Romans around 200
A.D. in the town of Trier, Germany.
The message said:
“Honey, You can
quickly realize my love for you and my solicitude for your welfare when I
highly advise you not to see Laurel and Hardy in ‘The Bullfighters.’ Love,
George”
The writing struck me as very clever, and my suspicion that George was an educated man was confirmed
when I checked his enlistment record and saw his educational level was “post
graduate.”
The movie he mentioned, “The Bullfighters” featuring the
comedy team of Laurel and Hardy, was released in 1945. Apparently George didn’t
think much of it.
My research on Ancestry.com showed that George and Rose got
married. They are listed as husband and wife in the 1946
city directory for New Haven, Connecticut. His occupation is shown as probation
officer. Sadly, Rose died in 1952 at the age of 35. George appears to have
remarried and died in 1991 at age 79.
The postcard has been listed on e-Bay for many months. I
didn’t buy it because I found no record of George having children with Rose or
his second wife, so there was no one to return the card to.
Here is an image of the postcard and a movie poster from “The
Bullfighters.”
Dear Mr. Schlatter,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the postcard my father sent to his first wife. I am his youngest child and the daughter of his second wife. My mother was a lieutenant in the army nurse corps. They met after the war when she was a widow with a young son and he was a widower with a young daughter. He often joked that she ouranked him. My parents and older sister are gone now. Your post was a delightful surprise.
Sincerely,
Helene Schnitman Vanderhoef
Helene: You made my day! I'm so glad you discovered this memento of your dad. John Schlatter
DeleteHelen, I have stumbled across this article because I have several of the postcards as well including some small children photos and a young couple. Please email me and I will scan the articles and photos to you to see if the photos are your family. I obtained these from a co worker who bought a piece of furniture at a thrift store, and they gave them to me because I am a stamp collector, a hobby not a business.
Deleteatlanticairsystems@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteIt appears George was with the signal corps, and was in the battle beginning in France and Belgium, per the post cards.
ReplyDelete