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Pages of History
The following story appeared in the Laurel Advocate on Jan. 10, 1945: “ JIMMY PLAYED PIANO AS BULLETS WHIZZED AROUND HIM— Everyone knows Jimmy Campbell, the piano player deluxe, and he is living up to his name over on the western front where he is helping win the war by knocking off Nazis. Seems as though Jimmy’s outfit broke through the Siegfried Line and they came upon a farm house a short distance from the line. An enemy pillbox cleverly hidden in the front yard was promptly knocked out by the GIs.
“The place was lousy with snipers and Jimmy’s outfit moved in to get rid of them. Along came an artillery shell that tore the top off the house. The GIs entered and while going through the top floor looking for snipers, Jimmy came across a perfectly good piano. With the sky for a roof, sniper bullets whizzing past, and big shells whining overhead, Jimmy forgot about the war and sat down in front of the instrument. On and on he played as the doughboys and the heinies listened. From classics to hop music he played. And around that part of the front there was a sudden lull in the fighting as the strains of the piano wafted out over the air.
“A correspondent for a national magazine was drawn to the scene and wrote it up. He forgot to mention the name of the GI who, under heavy fire, sat and poured out his love for the instrument.
“Yes, it was our own Jimmy Campbell, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Campbell, who countless times thrilled home audiences with his masterful touch on the instrument. It was a strange setting for a concert but Jimmy forgot time and space when he entered into it. The concert over, the hunt for heinies started all over again with Jimmy in the vanguard.”
This writer interviewed Jimmy Campbell about a year before he died in 2005. He did not mention the piano story but his wife Phyllis did. She said she thought the war correspondent may have been from Life magazine.
FEBRUARY 1945: During the first week of February 1945, 138 Cedar County men were ordered to report for their pre-induction physicals. Another 43 were ordered to report for induction.
Editor Alison commented: “For the benefit of all the drugstore generals and street corner admirals telling us that the war is all over but the shouting, we invite you to take a look at the list of names in this issue of Your Advocate. We don’t think for a minute there would be such a call for men if the army, navy, and air corps thought the war was about over. Losing 181 men in one month from one county starts us wondering. We are supposed to be an agricultural community but losing men like that and running farms at the same time just isn’t in the picture.”
Based on the number of sale bills in the Advocate, a lot of farmers didn’t think so either. World War II was a major factor in the demise of small farms and small farming communities.
Some good news to report: When American forces liberated the Philippine capital of Manila, they released several thousand American civilians held in Japanese prison camps. The prisoners included Mr. and Mrs. Elton Fee and their two young daughters.
Mrs. Fee, the former Dorothy Graham, was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William T. Graham. Mr. Graham was associated with the Laurel State Bank from 1898 to 1918. He also built the large house that stands today on the West Hill at 515 W. Second.
Dorothy was born in 1911. The family moved to Omaha in 1918. In 1935 Dorothy married Elton Jackson Fee who was associated with Standard Oil for many years.
The Fees were in Manila for an oil executives meeting when war with Japan broke out on Dec. 7, 1941.
When Japanese forces invaded the Philippines shortly after Pearl Harbor, thousands of Americans had no way to escape.
Many, including the Fees and their 18-month-old daughter, were interned on the campus of Santo Tomas University which had been hastily converted into a prison camp.
When U.S. forces liberated Manila, the prisoners were freed. The Fees were released on February 4, 1945, their 10th wedding anniversary. News arrived in Laurel in the form of a telegram from W.T. Graham, who was then living in Polo, Ill. It read: “We have received direct mail from the Philippines that Elton Fee, wife and two children have been liberated and are safe although suffering somewhat from malnutrition. We are assured that all possible steps to render assistance is being taken by military authorities and we hope early repatriation can be arranged.“ The Fees would return to the U.S. In April. Later they would return to the Philippines. Elton Fee died in 1974. Dorothy lived until 1994. Daughter Marcia Fee Achenbach, the little girl who was imprisoned with her parents, passed away in 2019. Daughter Judith Fee Winslow, who was born in the prison, and Wendy Fee Baynard, who was born several years later, are still living. The story of the Fee family was discussed extensively in this column a couple of years ago and will not be repeated at this time.
The Immanuel Lutherans of Laurel also were freed – freed from debt.
The congregation held a mortgage burning ceremony at a special service held on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 11. The remaining debt of $7750, incurred when the present church was built in 1930, was paid off at last.
A crowd of approximately 400, including pastors from 16 different churches, gathered at the church to witness the burning of the mortgage. The ceremony took place in front of the altar.
Albert Ebmeier presented Charles Ebmeier - who held the mortgage - with a check covering the amount of the debt. Charles then handed the mortgage to August Ebmeier who struck a match and touched it to the document. The paid off mortgage went up in flames. Following the service the ladies of the church served dinner to 350 guests.
