John Garvey and the baseball bat
After the conclusion of our book, Tina and I told the story of her grandfather and the ballgame he and fellow crewman of the S.S. Bancroft played on a Pacific island in March, 1945 against a team of Major Leaguers. Here are some related pictures and letters we could not include in the book.
This was no Field of Dreams
The Marianas Islands, where John's game was played, are a l..o..n..g way from Boston... over 7,500 miles!
The USS Bancroft
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This picture was taken off the coast of Boston in April, 1942. There's more on the Bancroft on this Wikipedia page.
The famous bat
Looks like a soldering iron was used on the bat to mark the occasion in the sawed-in-half bat. Three generations of Garveys would treasure this memento.
Close ups of the signatures
Close ups of the signatures
Amazing the bat and those signatures survived a war. How special it was later passed on to John's son, Robert.
Close ups of the signatures
Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese
Close ups of the signatures
Johnny Mize & Johnny Vander Meer
In 1983 Robert Garvey tried to get more details on the story
April, 1983, he wrote to the HOF
The HOF suggested Robert write to Pee Wee Reese, who was working for Louisville Slugger.
In his handwritten reply, Pee Wee offered some new information about the game and the tour
In his handwritten reply, Pee Wee offered some new information about the game and the tour
Though he could not remember the details of the game or even how the barnstorming tour was set up, Pee Wee did provide some cool details.
In his handwritten reply, Pee Wee offered some new information about the game and the tour
In his handwritten reply, Pee Wee offered some new information about the game and the tour
In his handwritten reply, Pee Wee offered some new information about the game and the tour
Like how tennis star Bobby Riggs (yes, THAT Bobby Riggs) was also on the barnstorming tour. (We note he did NOT sign the bat, although that would have been very much on brand for Riggs.)