George Holmes
Heroes of Camden, New Jersey
Named: George Holmes, U.S. Navy, USS Bridges, Shanghai, 1937, and 1938..
George Holmes
George Holmes was born around 1909. He grew up in North Camden. One of at least eight children, he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 16, and by January of 1938 was serving his fourth enlistment in that branch of the service. By 1930 his mother and siblings had moved to 220 North 40th Street in East Camden. Mrs. Holmes later moved to 11 South Dudley Street, where she was living in 1938.
He was serving with the Navy in Shanghai, China in 1937 and early 1938. He wrote his mother an account of a Japanese air raid recently witnessed, which was published in the January 20, 1938 edition of the Camden Courier-Post.
Horror of Shanghai Air Raid Described by Camden Sailor
Camden Courier-Post —
George Holmes Writes About Slaughter of Civilians
Tells of Escape in Bomb Attack
An East Camden mother received a letter yesterday from her son in Shanghai, giving a graphic description of a Japanese air raid on the China metropolis and of hundreds of women and children being slaughtered by the bombs.
Under hazardous conditions, while the Japanese war planes rained death from the sky, the Camden sailor, a member of the crew of the Camden U.S. gunboat Bridges, aided in removing injured from buildings during the bombardment on December 15.
He is George Holmes, 29, now serving his fourth enlistment in the United States Navy. His mother is Mrs. Emma Holmes, of 11 South Dudley street.
Although aware his letter might alarm his mother, Holmes related his gruesome experiences in the China war zone in an apparent effort to dishearten a younger brother, Robert Holmes, from enlisting in the Navy at this time.
Sympathies With Chinese
Indicating clearly where the sympathies of the U.S. sailors in China lay, young Holmes paragraphed:
“None of us want war, but we would like to train our guns on the Japs and give them some of their own medicine.”
Holmes, who formerly resided with his family in North Camden, enlisted when he was 16. He is married and his wife, Margaret, lives in San Francisco, home base of the U.S.S. Bridges.
His letter to his mother follows:
“Dearest Mother: Just a few lines to let you know I am well and hope you are all the same. We are back in Shanghai now and have been for a week. As yet we have received no mail from the States. I could sure go for a letter or two from Margaret. Gee, I sure miss her.
“I am just about fed up with this war. It sure isn’t funny by a long shot. The other day another fellow and myself were on guard duty on the second floor of the Wing On Building when the Sincere Building across the street was bombed.
Knocked to Their Knees
“At the minute the bomb exploded the sensation experienced was the same as standing on the deck of a battleship firing a broadside, but of greater intensity. We were both knocked to our knees by the concussion.
“We got up, took stock of ourselves and discovered we were unhurt except that Tommy, my buddy, was slightly cut on the head and leg. I pulled a piece of glass about a quarter-inch long from his head.
“We then looked around and discovered all who were not injured or killed had left the building. There were many people lying all over the place apparently dead.
“We heard a Chinese girl saying ‘my eyes, I can’t see,’ so we moved debris and got to her where we discovered one of her eyes gone and glass sticking through the eyelid into the eye. She was bleeding all over from severe cuts. We picked her up and carried her to an ambulance, which arrived just as we emerged from the door.
Bodies Strew Street
“In making our way out the door it was necessary to stop a couple of times to move things out of our way. Apparently every showcase on both the first and second floors was demolished and stock scattered in all directions.
“When we arrived on the first floor not a sign of life could be seen but many bodies were lying about in pools of blood. On the sidewalk, I helped pick up a man with a horrible abdominal wound. Dismembered and maimed bodies were strewn all about the streets.
“On leaving this place of horrors we saw dead as far as two blocks away and blood everywhere. We were amazed on our return to the ship to learn that the bomb had not entered the Wing On Building where we were, but had entered the second floor of the Sincere Building.
“Here, I had better quit this stuff about the war, but mother it is awful and you tell Robert to stay the hell out of the Navy. If we do declare war on the Japs and he is drafted that would be different but otherwise he is not to enlist. One fellow from a family is enough and I am in it as much as I hate it.
Mentions Panay Sinking
“I guess you heard about our ship being bombed and sunk. None of us want war, but we would like to train our guns on the Japs and give them some of their own medicine.
“Mother, no matter what you read in the papers don’t worry or anything for after all that will not do any good. Just keep smiling for my sake. We will get by and before long we will all be sailing home. Just 10 more days until Christmas, but it won’t be much to the boys out here. I hope you have a nice and happy one and maybe next year we can all be together again.”