It was my happiness to experience a most cordial welcome at Derry, the hospitable residence of the Rev. CC Townsend, Rector of Kilmacabea.  The small town of Rosscarbery, beneath the hill on which the demesne of Derry stands, is rendered very picturesque to the eye by its ancient cathedral ruin, surrounded by trees and the frail memorials of the numerous dead that slumber in its unfenced cemetery.  At this village I alighted from the coach, at the kind invitation of a member of the family of my host, who at once conducted me to her infant-school, and to the bread and meat shop, which was admirably managed.  And its well arranged stores of biscuits and various kinds of meal, its lady-shopkeeper sitting in her recess to one side, its subordinate shop woman weighing and dealing out the wares of subsistence, the opened folding doors of the store, the outside barrier with its masculine woman-guard, keeping the crowds of applicants at bay; the eager hungry, emaciated company pressing on for a supply, either at a reduced rate or gratuitously, presented a scene for a painter if even art and genius, with their wonted enthusiasm, could have quietly sat down to depict that scene.  Nowhere did I witness plans more judiciously formed or more diligently pursued, for the relief of the present necessity, and for the permanent amelioration of the temporal and spiritual condition of a degraded, neglected, and benighted peasantry, than at Derry, and the localities of which it formed the merciful centre.  The ingenuity and perseverance of Christian, intelligent charity were in active operation, to devise and carry out schemes of productive and particularly agricultural employment, of even a model character for the labouring classes.  (A cluster of model cottages, with pretty flower gardens in their front, particularly attracted my notice and admiration, though I was told that, when the man who first laid out those gardens was questioned by a neighbour as to what he was doing, he replied, in a tone implying that he deemed it a sad waste of ground, and his own employment degrading ‘Och! And I’m making gardens for posies!’).  The weekly increasing numbers of widows, with their orphans, were especially cared for: and knitting, spinning, weaving &c., provided self-supporting occupation for nearly one hundred of that interesting and pitiable class.  Soup kitchens were in full work and relief committees were attended as the legitimate duties of a clergyman and a landed proprietor.  Weekly and Sunday schools were affording a sound scriptural education to the considerable bodies of children, chiefly belonging to Roman Catholic parents, who, in spite of the occasional terror of the priests, were delighted to have their young ones instructed.  One large school of this kind I visited, held in the upper room of a plain farm house, in a wild region of the extensive parish under the care of my clerical friend and his faithful and laborious curate.  I will not trust myself to speak of the admirable domestic economy and the home training of a lovely and numerous family which I witnessed.  Here, as elsewhere, I found the partner of the minister’s heart and home taking her full share in every scheme of good: and not a little was I interested with what I observed at the very entrance to Mr. T’s grounds.  A company of poor were standing in the road outside the gate in quiet order.  Within, at two or three yards’ distance sat a venerable lady of the family, with a large basket in her right hand and a volume in her left, from which she was impressively reading to the little congregation.  It was the book of God, the New Testament.  Her daily custom was, first to dispense in this manner a portion of the bread of life to those who were accustomed to ‘a famine of the words of the Lord’ and then bestow upon them some of the bread that perisheth.

Sudden Death

Lynn Record, July 31, 1875

On Saturday afternoon of last week, at about five o’clock, Mr. Michael Cronin, aged thirty two years, residing at No. 413 Boston street, went bathing on Long Beach, in company with a friend, and soon after reaching the water was observed acting somewhat strangely.  His companion hastened to his side and discovered that he was apparently dead.  The body was taken to one of the out-buildings, and Dr. Emerson called, but the services of the latter proved unavailing.  Coroner Hiram N. Breed was summoned, but, after investigating the circumstances connected with the affair, deemed an inquest unnecessary.  Death was undoubtedly caused by heart disease.

Mary C. Moloney obituary

Lynn Item, March 25, 1891

Tuesday afternoon, after an illness of 12 days’ duration, Mary C., The wife of John Moloney, passed away at her home, 515 Boston Street.  Mrs. Moloney, known to almost every man, woman, and child in Lynn, was born in Ross parish, County Cork, Ireland, 52 years ago, the daughter of Patrick Cronin.  She came with her parents to this country when 13 years of age, and with her parents engaged in the fruit business in New York.  Ten years later she was wedded to John Moloney.  A few years later after they came to Lynn, and embarked in the business which has proven so successful.

She was known through Lynn for her unostentatious philanthropy, and charity, and many have cause to regret the loss of a true friend.  Of large frame, she was a familiar figure in central square, at the fruit stand, on duty through weather fair or foul, directing the business to which she gave her entire attention.  Under her guidance it prospered and extended beyond Lynn to Lowell and Lawrence.  In Boston, the firm secured control of all broken fruit, a profitable part of the business.  Of late her husband has spent much time in the south and West Indies engaging cargoes of fruit to supply the large and growing trade.  The inmates of the almshouse, children’s home, and the day nursery were institutions in which she took great interest, and her donations to them were extensive and liberal.  The overseers of the poor of her state: “she was a great aid in our charitable work, and her kindheartedness and benevolence were shown in many ways.”

She leaves a husband of two sons.  The funeral will take place from St. Mary’s Church, Thursday, at 2 P.M.

Funeral of Mary C. Moloney

Daily Evening Item, March 24, 1891

The funeral of Mary C., wife of John J. Moloney, occurred Thursday afternoon and was largely attended by relatives and many friends of the deceased.  The services were in charge of E. J. Leslie.  A short family service was held at the residence on Boston Street, and an opportunity given to take a last look at the remains.  The floral tributes were beautiful and profuse in number.  The Boston Fruit Co. sent an elegant wreath and cross, also a large floral “Gates Ajar.”  The tribute from her husband was a handsome piece representing a broken column, and from her children a large pillow on which was the word “Mother.”  A sheaf of wheat on which was a white dove bearing the word “At Rest” on a white ribbon, in immortelles, from E. J. Leslie and wife.  Other beautiful tributes were placed on the casket from near relatives and dear friends.

Draped in mourning in the yard stood the faithful horse Mrs. Moloney has driven for 20 years, and the animal was one of the horses attached to the open barouche filled with flowers which followed the remains to the grave.  The bearers were John F. McCarty, John A. Doyle, Daniel F. Day, Harry Odell, James Travers, Sr., and Michael Donovan.

The funeral procession arrived at St. Mary’s church just before 3 o’clock and the casket was placed at the head of the centre aisle, in front of the alter.  The church was filled with a large gathering of sympathizing friends.  On account of it being Holy Thursday no mass was said and the organ was silent, it having been closed until Saturday, after the signing of Gloria in the morning.  The service was conducted by Monsignor Strain, who, after the prayer, spoke in a touching and tender manner of the virtues of the departed Christian woman.  She had been faithful, he said, in all her life work.  “She as a big women and her heart was as big as her body.  Every one knew her and knows how good and true she has been.”

The casket was of solid cedar, metallic lined, and beautifully draped.  The remains were placed in a brick grave in St. Mary’s Cemetery.  Much sympathy is expressed for the husband and children, and for the former especially, from the fact that he arrived home from Jamaica only a few hours after his wife died.

Mrs. Moloney will be sadly missed in this city.  She had endeared himself to a large number of her generous, whole-souled actions, and her deeds of charity have cheered many a heart.  In a number of cases she has helped families in distress without being known in the matter.  Her gifts of fruit to the poor and the Children’s home were of most bountiful nature.  Upright and honest, in all her business dealings, who has left an honorable record among business acquaintances.  A well filled life work has ended.

George Cronin and Henry Carr, Highlands Boys, Drowned in Flax

Latter Gives Exhibition of Heroism Seldom Equaled in Vain Effort to Save His Chum

Cronin, Unable to Swim, Steps Off Sand Bar Into 15 Feet of Water.

In Fright Drags Would-be Rescuer to Death

Stephen Healey and Lloyd Warren, Try Vainly to Save.

Lynn Daily Evening Item, July 3, 1912

Henry Carr, aged 16, son of Mrs. Mary A. Carr, widow of James H. Carr, and living at 32 High Rock Street, lost his life at Flax Pond on Tuesday afternoon, while trying to save his chum, George Cronin, aged 16, son of Patrick Cronin of 106 Rockaway Street.  The two boys met death locked in each other’s arms, and the waters of the pond formed a curtain over an exhibition of juvenile heroism seldom equaled and which would have won young Carr a Carnegie Medal for bravery, if he had succeeded in rescuing his drowning friend.

Unable to swim more than a few strokes and being unacquainted with the sand beach on the westerly shore, near Broadway, Cronin found himself beyond a sand bar and in 15 feet of water, when he tried to touch bottom after making his initial plunge.  His cries of alarm were heard by those on shore, but Carr was the only good swimmer in the party of over a dozen youths, of which Cronin was also a member.

Carr went to the rescue of Cronin alone and unaided, and a few vigorous strokes brought him to the side of his drowning friend.  The first time that he seized hold of him Cronin swung around in the water and grasped Carr by the shoulders.  Realizing that Cronin in his desperate struggle [newspaper article illegible] waited to seize Cronin again when he should come up for the third time.

Carr secured a fresh hold when Cronin’s head reappeared above the surface and started to swim toward the shore with him, believing that Cronin was too far gone by this time to interfere in his dying struggle with the work of rescue.

Dragged Rescuer to Death.

But Cronin still had strength in his hands and arms and he locked them about Carr, not knowing in his unconscious condition what this action of his would mean.  Down went Cronin for the third and last time, his body dragging that of his brave and courageous friend with it into the tangled and snarled growth of eel grass which covers the bottom of the shore of the pond.

Cronin’s first cries of assistance had been addressed to Stephen Healey, another boy in the party, who lives on Jefferson Street.  Healey at the time was swimming far out in the lake.  He heard the cries and at first thought that Cronin was fooling.  Later when he saw Carr plunge into the pond to his aid, he realized that Cronin was actually in need of assistance and swam with all his speed for the sand bank.

He arrived a second or two too late.  The two boys had gone down when he reached the spot over which they had been struggling.  Reaching down, Healey’s hand came in contact with the Carr Boy’s arm.  He tried to pull him to the surface, but the weight of the Cronin boy’s body was dragging Carr down, and Healey could make no headway in his attempt to save the brave youth.  When he felt himself going also, he was forced to let go.

Lloyd Warren Tries But Fails.

Lloyd Warren, aged 18, of 10 Churchill place, had been swimming earlier in the afternoon and was dressing on the bank a short distance from [newspaper article illegible] attention was called to the two youths struggling in the water they were sinking from sight in the pond.  Without waiting to remove his shirt and other articles of clothing, Warren plunged into the pond.  A rowboat came along, which carried Warren to the spot where the boys were last see An, and Warren made dive after dive in an effort to recover the bodies before it was too late to make an attempt at resuscitation.  But he could not see their bodies among the eel grass and he could not fee them, although he went to the bottom to a depth of 15 or more feet several times.  These operations continued for over half an hour, and it was not until it became evident to the crowd which assembled on the shore that the attempts at rescuing the boys would be in vain, that a telephone call was put in for the police from Burckes boat house, on Chestnut Street.

Patrolmen Thompson and Linehan responded in the police ambulance, and two sets of grappling irons were used for over an hour before them bodies were recovered, side by side, at a point 15 feet from the shore and very near where the youths went down.  Patrolman Linehan and George H. Bond, a citizen were out in one rowboat and Patrolmen Thompson, Dwyer, and Southwich manned the other set of irons.  The bodies were removed to the shore, and carried on stretchers to the boathouse, from which they were removed to Haven’s undertaking rooms, in the ambulance.  They had been in the water nearly two hours when they were recovered at 3:08 o’clock and no signs of life whatever remained.

The beach where the drowning occurred is located off the pond pasture and is known in the language of the boys frequenting it as the first “sandy.”  It runs off gradually for about 15 feet from the shore when there is a sudden drop from a sand bar into 15 feet of water.  This sand bar and the presence of eel grass makes it a treacherous place for beginners in the art of swimming.  Cronin had been in swimming there twice before on Monday morning and afternoon.  He was the second to enter the water yesterday, following Healey, and he waded out without hesitation until the water was up to his arms.  Then he stepped off into deep water.

Very Popular and Good Boys.

Both the Carr and Cronin boys were popular lads about the Highlands, they being members of the Highland A. C. baseball team, of which Cronin was captain, and were real chums.  It is doubtful if a day passed throughout the year when they were not together.  They were known to a large number of the Highland population, for they generally met on Rockaway Street , in the vicinity of Cronin’s home, or at the corner of Rockaway and Hollingsworth Street, with the rest of the crowd.

During Tuesday noontime people going home to dinner saw the boys playing baseball with a half dozen other lads on Jefferson Street, around the corner from Rockaway Street, for they were getting in practice for a game of baseball on Fourth of July morning, at Meadow park.  They were having their last sport at baseball, for in less than three hours their bodies were taken from the water of the pond.

Cronin was otherwise known as “Dot” by his young friends, and his voice in the practice game of Tuesday could be heard to ring out above those of the other boys.  It was first “double it kid,” then “home it,” and he managed to keep his fellow players in a friendly spirit all of the time and it was partly through his pleasant disposition that his young friends made him captain of their baseball team.

Carr was another lad who took great interest in playing baseball and its seems as though he was never without a baseball, a bat or glove in his possession, ever ready to start into the game.  He and Cronin were on High Rock Park, nearly every evening of the week, practicing with the rest of the crowd for their week-end games.

Sorrow Throughout Highlands.

Nearly every home on the Highlands was saddened Tuesday evening, for both lads were well liked and always managed to keep out of mischief.  It seemed strange to walk across the “rock” and find things so quiet, for it has been the custom to see a half dozen baseballs flying around and a score or more of young men engaged in the national pastime.  Here and there on corners a crowd was collected listening to stories of the drowning, for it was the first double drowning accident ever to include two boys from this neighborhood.

They gathered about 1:15 o’clock, at the home of Cronin, and the last seen of George by any member of his family, was his sister, Miss Annie Cronin.  She asked him where he was going and he replied saying he was going to Flax Pond.  As he was unable to swim she advised him not to go there, but he said he was only going to wade in the water near shore.  Accompanied by several of the other lads they then left and were engaged in playing catch with a baseball part of the way to the pond.

It was the second time that Cronin had ever gone wading in Flax Pond and he, as well as his companions, were unaware of the danger which existed at this place with mud holes and eel grass combined.  Other boys in the crowd included Lawrence Lucie of 11 Valley avenue, manager of the baseball team, Joseph Sullivan of 39 Rockaway [newspaper article illegible] residing on Jefferson Street, met the crowd at the pond.

Went Back to Death.

Companions of the two lads who met their death claim that the entire crowd were just learning how to swim, and they had left the pond once to dress when someone suggested they remain in the water for a while longer.  This suggestion was carried out, and they had been back in the water but a short time when the accident occurred.  It is said that Healey made a vigorous struggle to save the life of Carr.  They say he had hold of Henry’s arm, but the weight was too great for him and he was obliged to let go in order to save his own life.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd of boys who gathered on the corner of Rockaway and Hollingsworth Streets, Tuesday evening, for the dead lads were among their closest companions.  Those who were on the shore of the pond and saw George and Henry sink beneath the surface will never forget it.  They were unable to swim themselves and to venture to the aid of either of the drowning boys meant the same death to them.  The only thing to do when Healey failed to save either of the lads was to hurry to Burckes boathouse and summon aid, which the boys on shore lost no time in doing.

Cronin was esteemed by his companions as one of the best fellows, while Henry Carr was also thought a great deal of.  Both these lad have chummed together for a number of years and were two of those instrumental in organizing the Highland A. C. baseball team early in the past spring.  Whenever the crowd was to go anywhere these lads were sure to be invited along, for without their presence it didn’t seem like the same coterie of High Rock lads.

It was only Sunday evening that Henry Carr received his diploma at the graduation exercises of the grammar school class of St. Mary’s Parochial school, while George Cronin graduated from the Whiting Grammar school a couple of years ago and later entered Lynn English High school.  At the high school he was a member of the school battalion and made many friends there.  They were both interested in the baseball aggregations representing their respective schools.

Both Good Ball Players.

Persons who have attended some of the exciting games played by the Highland A. C. during the past spring will surely remember George and Henry, for both were out to win and always stood by their team in a decision of any kind.  Carr was somewhat of a utility man on the team and was capable of playing in most any position.  His proper position on the Highland A. C. was at third base, while at times played shortstop and also in the field.  Captain Cronin played at first base and was ever ready to settle disputes for the team.

Last Friday morning, June 28, Carr served as one of the pallbearers at the funeral of a young girl friend, Miss Helen Francis Day, and on this coming Friday morning, he and his companion will themselves be laid at rest, providing funeral arrangements are not arranged before then.  It is less than 10 weeks since death saddened the home of the Cronin family when George’s mother, Mrs. Annie C. Cronin, passed away rather suddenly.

Henry Charles Carr was 16 years of age.  He was born in Woburn and came to Lynn with his parents about eight years ago.  Upon coming to this city he attended the Highland Primary school, later the Whiting Grammar and finally St. Mary’s Parochial school.  He was the son of Mrs. Mary C. Carr and the late James Henry Carr.  Besides his mother, he is survived by three brothers, Phillip, Maurice, and Arthur Carr, and three sisters, Florence, Harriett, and Jennie Carr, all of 13 High Rock Street.

George Henry Cronin, 16 years of age, was born in his late home, at 106 Rockaway Street, Nov. 25, 1896, the son of Patrick and the late Annie C. Cronin.  He attended the Highland Primary school, Whiting Grammar school, and later the Lynn English High school.  Besides his father, he is survived by one sister, Miss Annie Cronin, and four brothers Charles, Edward, Joseph, and Edwin Cronin [actually five - Richard].

News of the accident was soon conveyed to the home of the Cronin boy and his brother, Charles Cronin, went to Flax Pond and identified both boys, after being recovered from the water.  Although overcome with grief he returned home and a few minutes later notified Mrs. Carr, at her home of the accident.

Funerals of Boys Who Drowned

Daily Evening Item, July 5, 1912

Relatives and friends turned out in large numbers to the funeral services of Henry C. Carr and George H. Cronin, the two Highlands lads who figured in the double drowning accident at Flax Pond Tuesday afternoon.  The funeral of Henry Carr occurred on Thursday morning, leaving his house at 8 o’clock for services which were held at St. Mary’s Church at 10 o’clock, where a requiem high mass was celebrated by Rev. Father Curtin.  The funeral of George Cronin was held this morning at 8 o’clock from his late home, with a requiem high mass in St. Mary’s Church at 9 o’clock, with Monsignor Athur J. Teeling, as celebrant.

Lawrence Lucie, of 11 Valley Avenue, who was one of their chums that witnessed them sink to their deaths, served as a pallbearer at both funerals.  Six young friends were pallbearers for Henry Carr, all, with the exception of Lawrence Lucie, being classmates, who received their diplomas on last Sunday evening, when Henry received two, the second one being a diocesan diploma from Cardinal O’Connell, in recognition of his high standing in school work.  The remaining five pallbearers were Hubert Murphy, Stephen Bowlan, Thomas O’Connor, Earl Donovan and Joseph Corbett.  After the services at the church, the body was taken to Woburn, where the burial was in the family lot at Calvary Cemetery.

At the funeral of George Cronin, held this morning, there were eight pallbearers, four of whom were present when the bodies of the two boys sank from sight in the water of the pond.  The pallbearers were Stephen Healy, the young man who made a vain attempt to rescue the boys; Lawrence Lucie, James Dineen, and Frank Swain, who were also there, and Thomas Hennessey, Daniel Donovan, Edward Nestor, and Frank Curry.

There was a profusion of floral tributes from relatives and friends of both lads.  Among the pieces at the funeral of Henry Carr, were tributes from the Denovo club, employees of the Carr Leather Company, Brophy Bros’, classmates and “chums” besides a large number of others.  At the funeral of George Cronin, among the many beautiful tributes were pieces from T. J. Foley Company’s store of Boston; friends in the immediate neighborhood, from the Highland A. C. of which he was a popular member, as well as many others.  At the funeral of Henry Carr, there was also a piece from the Cronin family, and at the funeral of George Cronin there was another piece from the Carr family, which expressed the deep sympathies of both families.

The cortege at both funeral processions was large.  Wednesday evening hundreds of friends, including playmates and classmates of Henry Carr, visited his home at 32 High Rock Street to look upon him for the last time, as did a large number visit the home of George Cronin at 106 Rockaway Street, where they took their last glance at a true friend and playmate Thursday evening.  The body of George Cronin was laid at rest in the family lot at St. Joseph’s cemetery alongside of his mother, who was buried there only 10 weeks ago.

10,000 Grip Cases in Lynn

Martin Estate Is Seized By City For A Hospital

[Charles M. Cronin, 33 years old, 116 Lawton avenue, listed as influenza victim]

Lynn Telegram News; September 24, 1918

By direction of Judge Henry T. Lummus of the District Court, whose authority was invoked by Commissioner of Health M. R. Donovan, and who represented that there are 10,000 cases of influenza and pneumonia in this city, Chief of Police Thomas M. Burckes, this afternoon, seized the mansion on the A. B. Martin estate for use as a hospital.

This unusual action followed the refusal of a member of the Martin family to permit the use of the mansion for hospital purposes, until she had opportunity to ascertain the facts of the situation.

Upon learning of the reason for the delay in equipping the spacious mansion as an emergency hospital, Commissioner Donovan moved rapidly.

His action, supported by Secretary Thomas F. Moore of the Overseers of the Poor, and by members of the City Council, will make available for use this afternoon a hospital which will accommodate 75 patients.

The City Solicitor’s department attended to the necessary legal formalities and within a few moments of the completion of the preparation of the necessary legal papers, which were immediately signed by Judge Lummus, city trucks were at work, transporting cots, bedding, food and other necessary equipment to the Martin houses.

Other Moves Planned

Commissioner Donovan is prepared to make other moves to augment the hospital facilities if he becomes convinced that additional accommodations are needed.

In the petition presented by Commissioner Donovan to Judge Lummus, he set forth that the epidemic of influenza is extremely dangerous to public health and that the disease is of a highly contagious character.  He declared that there exists “In one form or another some 10,000 cases of said disease; that most of these cases deserve immediate medical attention and that many require constant medical attention.”  The inability of the hospitals in Lynn and other places adjacent to Lynn to receive any more patients was set forth and the authority of the court was invoked to make legal the seizure of the A. B. Martin estate for hospital use.

Commissioner Donovan made sworn affidavit that he has attempted without success to gain the consent of the owners of the property to be used for hospital purposes and that he has also attempted, without success, to secure other available property.

Immediately after reading the petition Judge Lummus affixed his signature, thereby conveying to Chief Burckes the authority to seize the estate and all other necessaries required to equip the estate for the proper treatment of persons afflicted with influenza.

Chief Burckes had been told to hold himself in readiness to move quickly, and he went to the estate and made formal seizure.  In the meantime the city trucks, placed at the disposal of the Lynn branch of the Red Cross, were moving around the city, picking up cots and other equipment which had been prepared by the Red Cross.

Open Hospital Tonight

Commission Donovan expected that the hospital would be open tonight.  The Red cross promised to furnish a few nurses, the city intended to assign a few, and with the aid of volunteer attendants, it was assured at noon that the hospital could be operated without much difficulty.

The co-operation of physicians has been guaranteed and the patients in the emergency hospital will not want for medical attention.

The practical withdrawal of the offer of the Martin estate for hospital purposes was surprising as it had been tendered to the Red Cross some months ago as a war hospital.  The Red Cross properly ruled that the use of the hospital to treat influenza patients would be for war purposes.

A hitch developed late yesterday afternoon.  Louis M. Winslow, a trustee of the A. B. Martin estate told city officials to go ahead and use the house, but he added that one of the daughters of the late A. B. Martin, who was in new Hampshire, had withheld her approval of the plan until she returned to Boston Friday and had learned all of the facts.

Henry F. Tapley offered the use of the old family homestead at North Common and mall streets, and the tender of the house may be accepted but because of the size of the Martin mansion, Commissioner Donovan was intent upon making it available for use.

Disease Is Spreading

Since yesterday noon 10 deaths have occurred from pneumonia and influenza and the number of cases has multiples so that now Commissioner Donovan believes that there are 10,000 afflicted.  If his estimate is correct, one-ninth of the population of the city is ill.

The situation in very alarming.  The mortality among pneumonia sufferers is very high, despite the best of medical attention.  The doctors are working night and day to restore victims to health and some physicians are visiting 150 patients daily.

The shortage of nurses is very acute.  In addition to the nurses at the Lynn Hospital who have been stricken, a large number of private nurses have contracted the disease, and the patients whom the have been attending have been compelled to get along without trained attendants.

Commissioner Donovan is not so much worried about the sick who are ill in their homes as he is about the sufferers who are confined to rooms in lodging houses.  He plans, if possible, to have removed to hospitals all sufferers who must depend upon friends for attention.

The closing of schools has been discussed but while Commissioner Donovan does not oppose such action, has withheld his approval.  He has advised the school department to keep buildings warm.  He believes that if the children are in school, under constant observation, they will be better off than running around the streets.

This noon Supt. Jacgson was ascertaining the number of teachers who are ill, as well as the number of children affected, and the question of closing the schools will be presented to the school committee tonight.

The Overseers of the Poor say that there are some pitiful scenes coming under their observation.  At 3 Cooper street, Mrs. Stanislaus Boguceski and her three small children are all ill.  It was reported to the department that the husband had deserted his family some time ago.  Medical assistance was provided and an effort was made to obtain a nurse.

A Polish charitable visitor reported to Secretary Moore of the Poor Department today that in one block on River street, occupied by six families, 27 men, women, and children are sick.  In one instance, an entire family is affected.

Supt. of Streets John R. Graham and two members of his family are confined to their home but they were reported today to be improving.

According to the doctors, the damp weather today is having a decided influence for the worse on the general situation.  There is no telling how many cases of influenza and pneumonia there are in Lynn, but it seems to be probable that an effort will be made to learn from the doctors how many patients they are attending.

This afternoon Dr. Donovan repeated the advice that he has frequently given to the people of the city.  “If you are ill call a doctor.  Don’t delay until you get deathly sick, but summon a doctor at the first symptoms of illness.  A day’s delay may cause weeks of sickness.”

In Boston today there was a big increase in the number of deaths between 10 o’clock and noon.  There were 32 deaths reported in the 14-hour period ending at noon.  Twenty-two were from influenza and 10 from pneumonia.  The record was an increase of 12 over the same period yesterday, and most of the increase came between the last two hours of the period.

* * * * * 

Charles M. Cronin, aged 32, son of Patrick M. Cronin and the late Anna C. Cronin, died this morning after only a few days’ illness of pneumonia.  He was a life-long resident of Lynn and was generally well known and respected here.

He was a salesman for the El Roitan Cigar Company and was formerly in the employ of the Esterbrook & Eaton and Phillip Morris cigar and cigarette firms.  He was a member of Valladolid Council Knights of Columbus of this city and Fr. Mathew T. A. S.

 Besides his wife Jennie (nee Walsh) he is survived by three brothers, Richard L. Cronin now with the American Expeditionary forces in France; Joseph M. and Edwin C. Cronin, a sister, Mrs. Joseph A. Dwyer and three children, Charles, aged seven, George, aged six, and Marie aged four.

Deaths from Grip Take a Big Jump

Victims Prominent

[Mrs. Ellen G. Ellen Aylward, 47 Suffolk Street, listed as influenza victim in past 24 hours]

Lynn Telegram News; October 7, 1918

While the influenza epidemic still continues to exact a heavy death toll, particularly among dwellers in the congested tenement districts, health officials and physicians are confident that they are slowly gaining control of the situation.

Conditions today were not comparable with the situation which existed 12 and 14 days ago and the marked diminution in the number of new cases is regarded by Health Commissioner Donovan as a most encouraging indication of a gradual but sustained improvement in the general situation.

From Saturday noon until 8 o’clock this morning reports of 150 new cases were filed with the health department.  This figure indicates nothing more that physicians have, in compliance with the law which became operative Friday making influenza a reportable disease, reported that many cases.

There is nothing about the reports upon which any estimate can be based of the number of new cases treated by physicians in the 24 hour period ending this morning.

Tomorrow morning when the reports of today are compiled it will be possible for Commissioner Donovan to ascertain the exact number of persons who were treated for the first time today.

Among the victims were Patrick H. Burke, a widely known druggist, who was forced to bed last Tuesday, after working day and night putting up prescriptions and weakening an already overworked system.  He had been ill for two days before he gave up.

Another victim was Miss J. Agnes Kelley, daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Thomas A. Kelley, of 137 North Common street.  A third was Mrs. Florence A Gerould, the daughter-in-law of Mrs. A. E. Little.

A particularly sad feature of the record is the double death in the Kohanowski family at 32 Cooper street.  Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Serafina Kohanowski succumbed and a few hours later her husband, Stephan Kohanowski died.  Both were 40 years old.  There are several children in the family.  Theirs were the only deaths reported in the Polish district since Saturday.

Conditions Seem Better

“Even though 150 cases were reported in a day,” said Commission Donovan, “it would not be the cause for any alarm.  Two weeks ago there must have been at least 1,000 cases a day.  Conditions are nothing like they were at that time.  It will be a day or so before the Health Department will be enabled to obtain an accurate knowledge of the number of new cases.  I am very confident that the daily reports will be of the most encouraging nature.”

There is a great necessity of the hospital care of many cases and these are being attended to as fast as the facilities which are available permit.

There is equal necessity for the treatment in their homes of a large number of people, who are clamoring to be sent to the hospitals, but whose condition is not serious enough to warrant any other treatment but that obtainable in their own homes.

The death record today shows quite a number of victims who were removed to hospitals Saturday and Sunday.  No surprise was created by reports of their deaths because when their cases were investigated by the health department, decisions were immediately made to send them to hospitals.

“It is the destitution that is responsible for a great many deaths,” said Commission Donovan today.  “We have found any number of sufferers who were receiving little or no attention and when we discovered them the disease had made such inroads upon them that fatal termination of the cases was indicated.  We are trying to remedy conditions but the force of workers at our disposal is not anywhere near as large as we should have.”

Nurses Turned Back

“We were to get six nurses from Philadelphia Saturday but when the 15 who were sent from that city reached Boston, a telegram awaited them ordering them back to their home city.  I do not expect that we will be able to get any assistance from outside the city.

“There is a great field for the nurses attached to the health department and they are doing wonderful work.  But they are not numerous enough to accomplish the results that need to be attained.”

There were 19 deaths from influenza and pneumonia between midnight Saturday and noon today [Mrs. Ellen G. Aylward, 47 Suffolk Street was listed among influenza victims in past 24 hours].

Another Emergency Doctor

Yesterday, Dr. J. F. Kerr of Elmhurst, Long Island, reported to Commission Donovan.  He was sent here by the State Board of Health.  As Dr. A. Stanley Pike of Rochester, N. Y., who reported Friday, had been permanently assigned to the Lynn Hospital, Dr. Kerr was delegated to respond to calls received by the health department.

He made a dozen visits Sunday and this morning there were 10 calls awaiting him.  Dr. Kerr will handle nothing but emergency calls but he will not make visits except with the approval of the health department.  If there is an emergency requiring a physician, a call to the health department will be answered as quickly as Dr. Kerr can be located.

It was through a mixup in orders that Dr. Pike was ordered to report to Commission Donovan.  The Lynn Hospital had applied to the state board for assistance and Dr. Pike was selected for hospital work but through an error he was instructed to report to the health commissioner.

He is acting as the house physician at the hospital and is handling all influenza and pneumonia cases there.  Last night, at the request of the police, he answered an emergency call from a Pitkin street house, where several members of one family were ill.  They were being treated by the family physician but when his services were thought necessary and he could not be located, the police were asked for assistance.

Nuns Offer Services

On Saturday six nuns of the Order of Notre Dame at St. Mary’s Church began working among the people of the parish.  Under the direction of Miss Virginia Kilrain of the health department, the nuns did splendid work and Miss Kilrain was enthusiastic about them.  Clad in white aprons and white veils and wearing masks, which are insisted upon by the doctors, the nuns have entered many homes and have done splendid work.  They not only care for the sick, but they prepare food and do necessary house work.

Their presence in the homes of the sick has done much to allay the fear which has kept many persons from caring for members of their families who are ill.

In speaking of the fear that exists among the people, Commission Donovan said today, “It should be distinctly understood that if the proper precautions are taken, persons attending the sick will not contact influenza.  And in the great majority of cases, those who are stricken got well in three or four days.  Lately the new cases which I have seen seem to be of a mild type.”

* * * * *

Mrs. Ellen G. Aylward, wife of Frank J. Aylward, died at her home, 47 Suffolk street, this morning of pneumonia [Monday].  Mrs. Aylward was taken sick last Tuesday.  She is survived by her husband, a brother and a sister.

Patrick M. Cronin obituary

Lynn City Item, August 9, 1931

Patrick M. Cronin, aged 69, well-known resident of the Highlands and former West Lynn hotel proprietor, died shortly before 6 o’clock Sunday morning at his home, 106 Rockaway St, following an illness of a week.  Mr. Cronin has been in ill health for the past two years.

Mr. Cronin was born in Oxford, England, the son of Michael and Mary (O’Brien) Cronin, but came to this country with his parents when only an infant.  For many years, he was proprietor of the old Market Square Hotel in West Lynn.  In later years, he conducted a cigar store on lower Union St until ill health forced his retirement.  He was an attendant at St Mary’s Church.

He leaves three sons. Richard Leo, Joseph Michael, and Edwin Patrick Cronin; a daughter, Mrs. Joseph A. Dwyer, with whom he made his home; a sister, Mrs. Thomas Murphy, and 14 grandchildren, all of Lynn.

English Eleven Outplays Classical to Score 7-0 Victory

Forward pass in First Quarter Is Only Score In Annual Grid Battle

Daily Evening Item, November 25, 1938

*****

Lone Touchdown Scored on Pass

Three running plays netted a first down on the Classical 35, and English was on its way.  Three more rushes with McManus lugging twice on spinners made another first down on the Classical 22.  Classical dug in and English was held to seven yards in three tries.  Joe Cronin took a short pass from Brooks out of the hands of two Classical secondary players on the eight yard line and squirmed his way through their hands to lunge across the goal.  Nicketakis made his debut as a drop kicker and slipped the ball between the uprights for the extra point.

*****

Making the first and only touchdown proved profitable to Joe Cronin of English.  He won money for his efforts from his parents, the store where he is employed after school hours and clothing from several local business firms.

Edwin Cronin of the News Dies Suddenly

Salem Evening News, September 28, 1956

Edwin P. Cronin, 53, assistant foreman of the Salem Evening News died last night of a heart attack while visiting friends in Danvers.

He made his home at 97 Elliott Street, Danvers, and previously resided in Peabofy for two years.  A member of the Boston Stereotype Union, Unit Two, he served his apprenticeship at the Lynn Telegram News.

He joined the News on a permanent status in July of 1942.  Previously he had filled in during vacations and emergencies.

Surviving are two sons, Vincent Cronin of Swampscott and Laurence Cronin of Lynn; a brother, Richard Cronin of St. Petersburg, Fla; a sister, Mrs. Anne Dwyer of Lynn; and several grandchildren.

The funeral will be held from the St. Laurent Funeral Home, 554 Western Avenue, Monday at 9 A.M. followed by solemn mass of in Annunciation Church, Danvers, at 10 AM.

Richard L. Cronin obituary

Daily Evening Item, March 4, 1966

(St. Petersburg, Florida) A former Lynn firefighter, Richard L. Cronin, 75, husband of the former Helen Crane, 3455 14th Ave South, St. Petersburg, Fla., died last night in St. Petersburg VA Hospital after a lengthy illness.

Born in Lynn, he lived here until his retirement in 1952 after 36 years with the Lynn Fire Dept.  He was stationed at Lynnfield St. Fire Station, assigned to Engine 3 and later Engine 11, Lynnfield St. Fire Station.

A World War I Army veteran, he was a charter member of East Lynn Post 291, American Legion.  Upon moving to Florida, he became active in the St. Petersburg Legion.  He had also been a member of the Holy Name Society and was an attendant of St. Joseph’s Church in St Petersburg.  He had attended St. Mary’s Boys High.

He also leaves two daughters, Mrs. Geraldine Wilkinson of South Lynnfield and Mrs. Shirley Wall of Orlando, Fla, whose husband Robert, is a nephew of former Mayor M. Henry Wall; a sister, Mrs. Anne Dwyer of Lynn; eight grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be held Monday morning from the Gulfport Memorial Funeral Home, Gulfport, Fla., Followed by a solemn requiem high mass in St. Joseph’s Church, St. Petersburg, with burial in Memorial Park Cemetery, St. Petersburg.

George P. Cronin, 46, Coach of Boys’ Baseball

Daily Evening Item, January 9, 1975

George P. Cronin, 46, 25 Fay’s Ave., widely-known for his work as a volunteer in local baseball programs, died suddenly Wednesday at Lynn Hospital where he had been taken after having been stricken at his home.  He was the husband of Mrs. Virginia (Webster) Cronin.

A lifelong resident of Lynn, he was the son of the late Joseph M. and Mary E. (McLaughlin) Cronin and was a graduate of St. Mary’s Boys’ High and Boston College.

He had been employed at the General Electric River Works for 21 years, most recently as a production manager in the Marine Steam Turbine Division.

Mr. Cronin was an Army veteran of the Korean Conflict and was a member of Capt. William G. Shoemaker Post 345, American Legion.

He was also a member of Valladolid Council, Knights of Columbus of Lynn and the G. E. Management Association.  He was also active in youth activities and served as a coach in the Little League and Lynn Babe Ruth baseball league, helping to organize several clinics for boys.

He also leaves two brothers, John J. Cronin of Lynn and Joseph M. Cronin Jr., of Lynnfield, four sisters, Mrs. Mary E. Holey, Miss Marion McLaughlin and Mrs. Phyllis Colonbani, all of Lynn and Mrs. Marjorie Dalton of Winthrop and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be held Saturday at 8:15 a.m. from the McGinn-Langergan Funeral Home, 157 Maple St., followed by a funeral Mass at 9 at St. Pius V Church.

Joseph M. Cronin obituary

Daily Evening Item, July 15, 1982

(Lynnfield) Joseph M. Cronin, 61, 14 Locksley Road, New England District sales manager for Sprague Products Co. of North Adams, died today at Union Hospital after being stricken at home.

The husband of Mrs. Frances (Rowe) Cronin, he was born in Lynn, the son of the late Joseph M. and Mary (McLaughlin) Cronin.  He lived in Lynn most of his life before moving to Lynnfield 20 years ago.

He was a graduate of Lynn English High, Class of 1939, and Norwich University, Vermont, in 1944.  He was an Army veteran of World War II, serving as a lieutenant with the 17th Airborne Div.  Mr. Cronin was employed by the Sprague Co. for more than 25 years.

He was a member of the Retired Army Officers Association, and was a communicant at Our Lady of the Assumption Church.

He also leaves two sons, Theodore M. Cronin of Georgetown; Douglas M. Cronin of Lynnfield; two daughters, Miss Deborah E. Cronin of Anaheim, Calif., and Miss Cynthia M. Cronin of Lynn; four sisters, Mrs. Mary Holey, Mrs. Marion McLaughlin, Mrs. Phyllis Colombani and Mrs. Marjorie Dalton, all of Lynn; a grandson and several nieces and nephews.  He was the brother of the late George Cronin.

The funeral will be from the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home, 157 Maple St., Lynn, on Saturday at 8 a.m. followed by a mass in Our Lady of the Assumption Church at 9.  Burial arrangements are incomplete.

"Operation Varsity" (March 24, 1945)

From United States Army in World War II, 1973

Troops of the 30th Division were fighting at the first railroad and those of the 79th were clearing Dinslaken when shortly before 1000 on 24 March the steady drone of hundreds of aircraft motors began to emerge from the west.  For two hours and thirty-two minutes the deep, throbbing hum of the motors was to continue.  Since no pathfinder planes came in advance, even the first glimpse of planes gave the impression of the coming of a vast air armada.  The great train was composed of 889 escorting fighters, 1,696 transport planes, and 1,348 gliders, bringing to the battlefield 21,680 paratroopers and glidermen, followed closely by 240 four-engine Liberator bombers of the U.S. Eighth Air Force dropping 582 tons of supplies.  Another 2,153 fighter aircraft either maintained a protective umbrella over the target area or ranged far over Germany in quest of any German plane that might seek to interfere.  None did.  In addition, 2,596 heavy bombers (66o of them from the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy) and 821 medium bombers attacked airfields, bridges, marshaling areas, and other targets throughout Germany.

The men of the U.S. 17th Airborne Division (General Miley) had risen from twelve airfields north and south of Paris, those of the British 6th Airborne Division from airfields in England.  In an intricately timed maneuver, they had rendezvoused near Brussels.  Tails of both divisions, including 2,005 motor vehicles belonging to the American unit, had earlier headed for the target area by land.  In anticipation of early linkup of airborne and ground troops, the commander, General Ridgway, and staff of the XVIII Airborne Corps did not participate in the airborne assault but were already in position on the west bank of the Rhine.  The commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, General Brereton, also took up post on the west bank.  The Supreme Commander and British Prime Minister Churchill, the latter in company with the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, watched the airborne attack from vantage points on separate hills.

There was much to see even before the aerial train approached.  Executing the climax to operations begun three days earlier, medium bombers and fighter-bombers of the Ninth Air Force and British Second Tactical Air Force, for half an hour preceding arrival of the first transports, rained fragmentation bombs on antiaircraft batteries in the vicinity of the drop and landing zones.  At the same time, artillery of the British Second Army pounded antiaircraft gun positions short of a predesignated bomb line.

The sky was clear and bright in mid-morning of 24 March, but a ground haze aggravated by drifting smoke from the screen along the Rhine lowered visibility close to the ground.  Slightly ahead of schedule, the first flight of transport planes appeared over the target area at 0953.  Carrying a battalion of the 507th Parachute Infantry, the planes missed the designated drop zone, a spot of cleared land just northwest of Wesel on the southern skirt of the Diersfordter Forst, the closest planned drop zone to the Rhine.  The paratroopers came to earth instead a mile and three-quarters to the northwest on the other side of the wood in a field near the town of Diersfordt.

Because this flight arrived close behind the air and artillery antiflak program, it received little antiaircraft fire, but the drop pattern was widely dispersed nonetheless.  The paratroopers coalesced into two relatively equal groups, one under the regimental commander, Col. Edson D. Raff, the other under the battalion commander, Maj. Paul F. Smith.

While Major Smith’s group was destroying several antiaircraft positions, Colonel Raff’s men disposed of a nest of machine guns and dug-in infantry and began to work southward through the forest toward the assigned regimental objective, relatively high ground along the fringe of the wood near Diersfordt.  Spotting a battery of five 150-mm. artillery pieces firing from a clearing, Raff and his force detoured to eliminate it.  They captured both the German artillerymen and the guns and spiked the guns with thermite grenades.  By the time Raff’s paratroopers reached the vicinity of Diersfordt, they had killed about 55 Germans, wounded 40, and captured 300, including a colonel.

The other two battalions of the 507th Parachute Infantry had in the meantime landed successfully on the assigned drop zone.  As one of these, the 3d, got ready to attack Diersfordt and a castle that dominates it, two German tanks emerged from the castle and headed down a narrow forest road toward the waiting paratroopers.  An aptly placed antitank grenade induced the crew of the lead tank to surrender, whereupon a tank hunter team armed with a 57-mm. recoilless rifle set the second afire with a direct hit, the first instance of successful combat use of the new weapon.

Resistance in Diersfordt, it soon developed, meant the castle.  While two companies laid down a base of fire from the edge of the forest against turrets and upper windows, Company G entered and began to clean out the castle, room by room.  Two hours later, at 1500, those Germans who remained capitulated.  Among the 3oo prisoners were several senior officers of General Straube’s LXXXVI Corps and of the 84th Infantry Division.

By nightfall the 507th Parachute Infantry had consolidated along the woods line near Diersfordt and patrols had established contact with the 1st Commando Brigade in Wesel.  Ten 75-mm pack howitzers of the 464th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion were tied in to the position.

Second of the 17th Airborne Division’s regiments to drop, the 513th Parachute Infantry incurred intense antiaircraft fire from an enemy no longer deterred by the Allied bombardment.  All three battalions of the regiment landed more than a mile from their assigned drop zones inside the sector of the 6th Airborne Division north of Wesel near the town of Hamminkeln.  Heavy small arms fire followed the paratroopers to the ground.  After a short but sharp fire fight, they were able to assemble by battalions and fight their way southward to their assigned zones.  In the process the paratroopers destroyed two German tanks, a self-propelled gun, and two batteries of 88’s.  While one battalion dug in on the landing zone, another cleared the woods north of Diersfordt and a third moved to the little Issel River, which marked the eastern extremity of the planned D-day objective line. Although the 513th’s supporting artillery, the 466th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, landed on the correct drop zone southwest of Hamminkeln, enemy fire there was even heavier than that encountered by the infantry.  A number of key men, including all the officers of one battery, were killed or wounded on the drop zone.  The artillerymen nevertheless managed to assemble some of their howitzers within half an hour, enabling them to place direct fire on the Germans and gradually to eliminate the opposition.  By noon they had captured ten German 76-mm pieces and were in position to provide supporting fire for the 513th Parachute Infantry. It remained for the glider echelons, including service elements of the division, to better the record for accuracy in landing.  At least 90 percent of the gliders descended on the proper landing zones north and northeast of Wesel in an eastward-oriented angle formed by the Issel River and the Issel Canal.  Although German fire was in some cases intense, destroying some of the gliders even after they had landed safely, men of the 194th Glider Infantry within two hours of landing had swept to the river and the canal and most of the howitzers of the division’s two glider field artillery battalions were in position to support them.  One of the infantry battalions knocked out two German tanks en route to its objective along the river, then accounted for two more in repulsing small counter-attacks after the men had dug in.

"The 513th was dropped into fields west of Hamminkeln, almost three miles north of their intended drop zone" (from "The Sky Men")

The British 6th Airborne Division encountered similar difficulty with flak and enemy ground fire but also moved swiftly to seize D-day objectives.  By 1300 the town of Hamminkeln was in British hands along with several bridges over the Issel River east and northeast of the town.

Operation Varsity, the airborne phase of the big Rhine assault, was an impressive success.  All airborne troops were on the ground by 1230, along with 109 tons of ammunition, 695 vehicles, and 113 artillery pieces; and in a matter of hours, both Americans and British had seized all objectives assigned for the first day.  In the process they had virtually eliminated the artillery and service elements of the enemy’s 84th Infantry Division.  Except for a surrounded pocket north of Diersfordt made up mainly of remnants of the 1053d Infantry, the enemy division had ceased to function as a tactical organizations.  The 17th Airborne Division claimed 2,000 prisoners, the 6th Airborne Division, another 1,500.

Linkup with British ground troops was firm by nightfall, and as early as midafternoon the XVIII Airborne Corps commander, General Ridgway, joined the 17th Airborne Division commander, General Miley, beyond the Rhine.  By late afternoon supplies were moving across the Rhine in dukws in such volume as to eliminate the need for additional supply by air.

Yet for all the success of Operation Varsity, the question remained whether under the prevailing circumstances an airborne attack had been necessary or was even justified.  It unquestionably aided British ground troops, but at a cost to the 17th Airborne Division alone during the first day’s operations of 159 men killed, 522 wounded, and 840 missing (though 6oo of the missing subsequently turned up to fight again).  The IX Troop Carrier Command alone lost 41.killed, 153 wounded, 163 missing.  The airborne assault also cost over 50 gliders and 44 transport aircraft destroyed, 332 damaged.  In the low-level supply mission flown directly after the assault by 240 Liberators of the Eighth Air Force, 15 aircraft were lost.

In view of the weak condition of German units east of the Rhine and the particular vulnerability of airborne troops in and immediately following the descent, some overbearing need for the special capability of airborne divisions would be required to justify their use.  Although the objectives assigned the divisions were legitimate, they were objectives that ground troops alone under existing circumstances should have been able to take without undue difficulty and probably with considerably fewer casualties.  Participation by paratroopers and glidermen gave appreciably no more depth to the bridgehead at Wesel than that achieved by infantrymen of the 30th Division.  Nor did the airborne attack speed bridge construction (as the XVIII Airborne Corps commander subsequently claimed), for not until 0915 the next day, 25 March, did engineers start work on bridges at Wesel.  A treadway bridge had been opened to traffic behind the 30th Division seventeen hours before that.

Letter from Colonel John H. Von Der Bruegge, USA (Ret), to Richard Wall

December 7, 2004

Rich -

Glad we have connected.  I didn’t know your uncle long, but we hit it off immediately after meeting.  Yes, he was always telling me what a good athlete he was - but I think it was because he found out I had starred in high school and was under a baseball contract.  He had a great sense of humor, even when things weren’t going well.  The night before we broke camp at Chalons, he and I grabbed a jeep and went to the Bistro.  To celebrate I don’t know what (maybe because we had both come out of the Battle of the Bulge in one piece).  In any event he was one of those that led the partying - culminated by a battle of champagne corks.

I never saw him after we reached the marshalling area, near Paris.  Everyone was busy preparing for the parachute operation across the Rhine River, near Wesel.  I understand you have studied that operation - Operation Varsity.  After-action reports show that 22 of the 73 planes (C-46’s) carrying our regiment were hit.  Mine was in flames when I exited the plane.  I was “severely” (what telegram said) wounded in the eye-ball to eye-ball fighting on the ground.

I next saw Joe when the medics wheeled me into the hospital in Hereford, England during the latter part of April.  I had been evacuated by the British and turned over to American hospital on west bank of Rhine and had then passed through hospitals in Belgium, Paris, and England.  I believe Joe was evacuated directly to England after it was determined his fighting days were over.

As I was wheeled on my back into the ward in Hereford, I heard “Von Der Bruegge” and said “who is that?”  A voice said “Cronin.”  The attendants pushed me over to his bed.  What a sight.  His arms and his legs were suspended and only his back and butt were on the bed.  Joe said “they told me you were killed.”  I made some comment about he looked worse than I did.  The attendants pointed out a scribbled sign hung at the foot of his bed.  It said “Wasn’t my day.”  Joe told me that flak had hit him in the shoulders and chest while he was floating down.  After he was on the ground, he couldn’t get out of his chute because of his injuries, so he played dead.  He said several German soldiers took shots at him and caught him in the arm.  While he was waiting hoping for help a truck load of German soldiers running for their lives saw him, drove off the road and drove over his legs.  He said that’s when he thought, “It isn’t my day.”

Have to run. Will try to remember if there is anything you might like to know.