Three Gold Stars

Herman Morie, formerly of the Biltmore Hotel in NY was busy at the Sea Girt Barber Shop at 506 Washington. The Coast Guard took over the Tremont hotel and Lighthouse, and their men patrolled the coast. It was hard not to know we were at war. The Guard Camp was used for regular army and the Signal Corps who took over the Sea Girt Inn.

There were no balls, no governor’s parties, as the Little White House remained closed. The State Legislature refused to fund the maintenance of the house and the governor stayed away.. Prices for everything rose. New six room cottages in Sea Girt were now $6,900. Food prices were up by 53% from 1939 costs. Charlie’s Inn on Washington (Rod’s) was shut after agents from the state witnessed the owner bookmaking on horses to make some extra money.

Canteen 4, a group of female volunteers mostly from Spring Lake put on dances each week at the Tremont. The ladies brought local girls, grape juice, cakes and cigarettes for the boys.

Everyone was asked to sacrifice. Buying new was out. recycling, rationing and economizing was in.

The Sea Girt Community Club diverted their piano fund to purchase war bonds. They filled their blood bank quota and rescheduled another donation session for the next meeting. War Bonds and Stamps were available for purchase at each meeting. Hobby day featured Mrs. Zeller making placemats out of old stockings, Mrs. Eisele speaking about a victory garden, Mrs. Hawes showing her cup and saucer collection, and Mrs. Bucknum showed her antique jewelry collection. A subsequent meeting Gertrude Wilkinson spoke on, “Mrs. America, War sets your dinner table.”

The Lend Lease Act allowed the government to take over two hotels in Asbury Park. They lent the Berkeley Carteret to the British Royal Navy as a place for their sailors to take shore leave. Many had been at sea protecting ships for up to 10 months without a break. They took enlistments for “Wren’s”, Women’s Royal Navy to assist. Women performed secretarial functions, message coding, driving, schedule planning, and operated radar equipment to expand the force. Marie Enright, the wife of Police Officer Enright, of Sea Girt was the first American woman to join in 1942. She helped the forward team prepare for the arrival of the sailors.

One night in June while riding her bike home from Asbury Park, Marie was on Beacon between First and Second, when a Coast Cities Bus, with its headlights dimmed and all street lamps and house lights extinguished because of their proximity to the Ocean, ran over Mrs. Enright. She was given full Naval Honors of someone killed in action.

The same week, news reached Sea Girt that Richard Smylie Tucker, 27, one of the hero lifeguards of the 1934 Morro Castle disaster, had been killed fighting in North Africa. The Americans, who lost 18,500 men in Tunisia, turned the tide for the Allies. The British lost over 220,000 men in the three-year struggle, and Rommell’s German and Italian forces lost 660,000. Sgt. Tucker was the captain of the football team at the Hun School, and noted for his leadership under pressure.

28-year-old Army Ranger Private Joseph Dawson, who spent every summer since his infancy at 202 Chicago Blv,d was also killed in Africa later that month.

There were no more visits from Western Union with telegrams to Sea Girt, but virtually everyone knew someone who had been killed in the fighting. 1943 was the deadliest year of the war. Over 45,000 Americans lost their lives fighting for their country.

War Memorial In Sea Girt, honors all three 1943 heroes

Note. As we get closer to modern times, I will likely write about someone you know. If I have it wrong, please let me know. I do my best to find good documentation for this history.

If you want to share any stories of your family time in Sea Girt, I’ll be moving into the recent past soon enough. Send me a pic, a tale, or both. I’ll try to honor them.

Maureen Estelle Smith, daughter of David and Agnes McPalran of 219 Chicago was 15 years old in 1943. Her father was an executive at Okanite, and it earned the family their summer home.

She married Everett Smith. Together they raised four girls in Ridgewood. The girls got to visit grandparents at Sea Girt.

In the same way, Maureen and Everett moved into her parents’ house, which was now their Sea Girt house. She had decades of memories at the beach with her four children and grandchildren. Maureen Williams, Christine Nemec, Eileen Hall, and Kathleen Heiss and their children made four generations visiting Sea Girt. Here’s a photo of Maureen before she passed at 92 in 2020, as beautiful as she was at 15 in 1943.