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February 1945

From the Half Moon Bay Review

(Photo: In Half Moon Bay, during WWII, there was a parade on Main Street, in support of the troops overseas. Courtesy Spanishtown Historical Society.)

February 1945

From the Half Moon Bay Review

“Nine Live, 171 Others Die; St. Canadas Has Close Call”

“Wounded three times in his 34 months in the South Pacific, Sgt. Ellsworth Canadas, 28, of Half Moon Bay, recently was sent home and is in Santa Barbara convalescing, it was reported today. Of the 180 men in his infantry outfit with whom Sgt. Canadas left for overseas only nine remain alive.

“Canadas was shot in the hand, leg and hip in three separate engagements on New Guinea. After each injury he was hospitalized for three months and then returned to combat. Sergeant Canadas was in on the invasion of the Philippines just prior to returning to the United States. He also took part in the invasion of Gualalcanal and on furlough visited Australia.

“The young veteran is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Canadas of Half Moon Bay. He is a graduate of Half Moon Bay High School and was employed as a carpenter in San Mateo prior to joining the army four years ago. He is entitled to wear the Presidential Unit Citation, the Purple Heart, the Oak Leaf Cluster and the Asiatic-Pacific ribbon.

” His brother S/Sgt. Raymond Canadas, 25, is now serving with the 5th Army in Italy. Raymond was recently wounded but is back in action according to a letter to his parents.

“Like his brother, Raymond is a graduate of Half Moon Bay High School and worked as a carpenter in San Mateo prior to entering the army three years ago.”

was the removal of many Italians from the coast, along with all persons of Japanese ancestry.

“Beginning in February of 1942, all Italian aliens living inland from Highway 1 south of Laguna Creek were required to move inland from the highway, and since many of the Italian families living on the North Coast had elderly unnaturalized parents and grandparents, the military orders brought extreme hardships to the farmers between Laguna Creek and the city limits of Santa Cruz. For the few families of Japanese present since the 1920s, the removal from the North Coast to a concentration camp in Arizona was devastating. Very few of the Japanese returned to the North Coast after the war.”

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From: Coast Dairies Property: A Land Use History, click here

Special thanks to John Vonderlin ([email protected]).

January 1945

From the Half Moon Bay Review

“Here’s an important ration reminder. When applying for gasoline rations, all motorists who have “A” cars must present to the local War Price and Rationing Boards their mileage ration records.

“This form was given to all “A” book holders during the re-regisration and must accompany all applications for supplemental special or furlough rations.

“If you do not have a mileage ration record, or have lost or destroyed it, apply to your local board right away for a duplicate.”

February 1945

From the Half Moon Bay Review

(Note: S/Sgt Dunn is the son of Mr and Mrs. George Dunn, Editor and Publisher of The Review and Pebble. He has been stationed in the Pacific War Area for the past 18 months…S/Sgt George Dunn is with the Sixth Army Corps, the 160th Infantry of the 40th Division who landed on Luzon in an 800 ship convoy on January 9th when General Douglas MacArthur started the liberation of the Philippines.)

Letter from S/Sergeant George Dunn, Jr.

“If you don’t mind me writing in a “fox hole,” I’ll get a long delayed letter written to you. I expect my dear you know I am somewhere in the Philippines, in fact I suppose by now you even know, from the radio and newspapers, just where, and probably know just what we are doing.

“Our landing was most exciting, in fact, that word doesn’t express to well what we went thru that day.
“I’m getting a little ‘breather’ today, surely was tired for a few days. Haven’t had my clothes off yet, my change should be up from the ‘rear’ soon.

“The Filipino people are greeting us with open arms. They are very poor after three years of Jap control, but even so, they give us eggs, chickens and bananas in exchange for American cigarettes.

“They have been more than willing to dig my Message Center holes, believe me I have surely dug enough of them. It is a good thing they do help because we haven’t always had “quiet” time enough.

“I can tell you this much, a Jap is no one to have around until he is dead and I’ve seen plenty of them. Our Army and Navy Air Corps, and the boys up here in the front lines are really giving it to them.

“I had quite a night last night. It was raining very hard, in fact there were four inches of rain in my fox hole, thought I could stick it out tho until a small pig crawled in with me, that was too much. I got out and took cover under a shack. I traded my underwear for a barbecued chicken this noon, did tht ever taste good.

“You have no idea how it feels to get out of that jungle and see some civilization, at least this seems civilized to us after where we have been. There are a lot of very old churches here and very huge. All of the houses are built off of the ground and made of bamboo, but even they look good to me.

Continue reading “Coastside WWII: Excerpts From Letters Written By Staff Sergeant George Dunn, Jr.”

(Photo: Elaine Martini Teixeira at far right, with sister Loretta.)

“Some probably drove a vehicle, the sailors that were permanently stationed there. We got to know a few of them: a cook, butcher, and chief petty officer of the commissary; they drove down. The main group of sailors only stayed a short time to practice the gunnery, shooting at the target behind a plane, which took off from the local airfield at Princeton. It would make continuous trips around, coming in from the Half Moon Bay side, out over the ocean. You could hear it and see it because the tracers left their trail through the air.”

(Photo: Elaine’s father owned a bar near the corner of Sunshine Valley Road & Ethleldore.)