In The Navy. . . . WWI and WWII

Picture and history lesson for the day.............


My father, Oliver Harvey Conner, was born November 1, 1900. Yes, he was almost 54 when I was born. He lived on a farm with his mother, siblings and a step-father, with whom he did not get along. I think he is the source of all the strong, stubborn, opinionated blood that runs through our veins.



At the age of 10 he ran away from home and at the young age of 14 he lyed about his age and joined the Navy. World War I (also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars; abbreviated WWI) was a global war which took place primarily in Europe from 1914 to 1918. Over 40 million casualties resulted, including approximately 20 million military and civilian deaths.





This is where I wish I had written down stories while he was alive. I think he shoveled coal into the engines in the belly of the battleship. I know that during WWII he was a machinest in the navy.





Oliver was not one to stay anywhere for long, unless of course he had a family to tend to. All together he was married 9 times, many of which ended in divorce, and a few of which passed away. This man's life was not easy. His first wife died of teberculosis, leavng him with a small daughter to drag from one coast to the other, and back again.

This photograph is of my Aunt Connie (on the left), my dad's sister. The woman on the right is my sister Winnifred. I think she was a nurse in one of the armed services. She lived in Los Angeles, close to an area called Chinatown. I can remember going to visit her, going out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant call "YeHung Goois" (not sure of the spelling). The room where we ate was upstairs, so we had to climb a flight of old wooden stairs. The first thing served was Egg Drop Soup, eaten with the traditional oriental spoon. The soup was so hot that I would sip it down the handle to let it cool. This was as delicious to me at that age as the Sizzling Rice soup from Yen Ching is today.

I always got to sit by the window and watch the activities below. There were always street vendors selling puppets, and other oriental trinkets. But, my favorite were the little tiny monkey's that walked along the street with the "organ grinder". The monkeys had on brightly colored satin hats and vests, and shorts. The organ grinder had them on a leather leach, and if you stood real still with a penny in your hand, the monkey would come up to you, take the penny out of your hand at the same time tickling your palm with his little tiny fingers, then run back and place the penny in a tin cup. The entire time the organ grinder was playing his metallic, sing-song music box.

I know that a few times I actually spent the night at Winnifred's house. I took naps until I was 6 or 7, sucked my left pointer finger, and had a very special "Blankie". One of the times I stayed with Winnifred, my blankie didn't make it home with me. I've always wondered if the whole thing was planned to break me of my "security blanket".

I'll share more memories soon........ I love you all and can't wait to see you in Torrey.