In a tribute to Veterans Day, the Greenwich Historical Society and the Greenwich Library Oral History Project will provide a fascinating exploration of Greenwich residents’ experiences during some of the most trying times in America’s history.
The Oral History Project brings to life personal accounts and perspectives of residents who served overseas on the frontlines and those who stayed on the home front during WWI and WWII.
The oral histories will be presented by members of the Oral History Project at the Historical Society on Wednesday, November 20 from 10:30 – 12:00 noon.
Woolworths on Greenwich Ave: Window is a tribute to WWII veterans. Provided with permission courtesy of Greenwich Historical Society Archives.
Participants will hear stories of how Greenwich individuals celebrated Armistice Day in 1918; how a resident was flown to Normandy in 1944 on the orders of General Dwight D. Eisenhower to test out his new radar invention, and numerous other first-hand accounts of residents’ experiences in these major global conflicts that had a defining effect on the world.
Hoisting the Flag in Greenwich / WWI. Provided with permission, courtesy of Greenwich Historical Society archives
“These were unprecedented wars, the largest and deadliest military conflicts in history that claimed the lives of over 500,000 Americans and more than 75 million globally,” said Historical Society Director of Library and Archives Christopher Shields in a release. “We are honored to collaborate with Greenwich Library’s Oral History Project in sharing personal narratives of our residents who sacrificed so much for our country. The Oral History Project ensures their stories will be told and preserved for future generations.”
Immediately following the oral histories, attendees are invited to a complimentary guided tour of the Historical Society’s current exhibition Greenwich During the Revolutionary War: A Frontier Town on the Front Line to learn and reflect on how residents lived through one of the country’s first and most significant home fronts: the fight for independence.
For more information and to register for the oral history: https://greenwichhistory.org/event/frontlines-ww-oral-histories/
Encore showing of film depicting tragic loss at sea of Rohna Classified: Tuesday, November 26
Poster for the Rohna Classified film, courtesy of Greenwich Historical Society
In a separate initiative to honor Veterans, the Historical Society will present a second viewing of Rohna Classified, a documentary film on the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship that carried 2,000 U.S. soldiers journeying to China to aid in their war efforts against Japan in WWII. The screening will be Tuesday, November 26, at 5:30 pm at the Historical Society.
The Rohna was destroyed by a German assault from one of the first radio-guided missiles in war history, culminating in the loss of 1,015 U.S. soldiers, among them 16 from Connecticut, including Greenwich native John Campbell Moore. It remains the most significant loss of soldiers at sea in U.S. naval history.
The screening, which is in collaboration with the film makers and descendants of the ship’s soldiers, examines why the casualties were so high, and explores the circumstances that concealed it from common knowledge.
The screening is free; registration is required: https://greenwichhistory.org/event/due-to-popular-demand-second-screening-of-rohna-classified/.
To view the documentary trailer https://www.rohnaclassified.com/.