Ernie at Sea: Solid Ground

Here is our last installment of Ernest Boyer’s participation in a humanitarian relief effort with the Brethren Service Committee after World War II. Thanks to a scrapbook, we have been able to share photos and journal entries written by Ernie.  This final installment includes Ernie’s last days on the Wesley Barrett – read further to discover the condition of the sea, the beauty of a rainbow, and where the crew learns the ship will dock.  On July 20, 1946, Boyer went through United States Customs and re-entered the country in Highgate Springs, Vermont.  After over a month away, Ernie returned with a German helmet, a German gas mask, some chinaware, and plenty of memories.

Friday, July 12, 1946 –

A typical “calm after the storm” day the sun shone brightly and the sea was calm.  This afternoon I spent the time taking a sunbath and got rather “red.”

Saturday, July 13, 1946 –

It was rather cloudy today.  The sea is “choppy” again.  Got official news today that we are going to Montreal Canada.  The cowboys are really in an uproar because there is a possibility we cannot get off the ship since that is a foreign part.  They say we may have to stay by it for another trip.  Sea got very rough again tonite!  I could hardly sleep because I kept rolling from side to side and cups, plates, glasses [and] the like kept rattling [and] breaking.  Solid ground would feel very good right now.

Sunday, July 14, 1946 –

It was a very nice sunny day even though the boat was very rocky.  Had our Sunday service today with Melvin Hess in charge.  Ship still heading for Montreal.  We are supposed to stop at Halifax Nova Scotia to get maps of the St. Lawrence.  Had a chicken dinner today.  Spent the afternoon taking a sun bath.  Had news tonight that the ship might be turned over to Canada.  Don’t know if its the truth or not.  Rocky tonite again.

Monday, July 15, 1946 –

Today was rather cold and chilly.  The sea is becoming more calm which is proof that we are getting near land.  Tonite we got our first glimpse of land which was Nova Scotia.  We stopped at Halifax to pick up charts of the St. Lawrence River.  Land sure looked good.

Tuesday, July 16, 1946 –

Have been going past land all day still Nova Scotia and surrounding territory.  The country is beautiful up here.  We were within several hundred feet of land.  We entered the Bay of St. Lawrence this evening.  Since it was such a beautiful day, I was up in the turret most of the day enjoying the sun.

* I forgot to add that on Monday evening I viewed several of the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed.  First of all we were called up on topside to witness the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen.  Words cannot describe it but as compete semi-circle formed in the Eastern sky the colors grew in intensity until they were almost unbelievably rich and distinct, richer than any artist could paint it.  And then as a crowning feature, another one formed just above it.  The colors were just as distinct although slightly paler.  The area within the semi-spheres was very light and radiant while without it was rather dark.  It reminded me of a very immense [and] indescribably beautiful amphitheater.  These had hardly faded out until a most beautiful sunset met our gaze.  To top it off, about ten o’clock a gorgeous full moon appeared that lit up the sky and made a glorious reflection on the water.  I don’t imagine I will ever witness such a night again.

Wednesday, July 17, 1946 –

When I awoke this morning it looked as it would be a beautiful day.  However it has been cloudy and windy all day.  We entered the mouth of the St. Lawrence this morning.  Our fears of not being able to get off the boat were smashed today when Mr. Crist told us to sign up if we were getting off and that our checks would be waiting for us.  I am thinking now of hitch-hiking home.  Anyway it will be good to be back in the states.

Thursday, July 18, 1946 –

It was another beautiful day.  I slept until almost noon.  I was up on deck all afternoon watching the scenery as we steamed down the St. Lawrence.  It was really beautiful.  We were at Quebec about 3:00 PM today.  It is said we will get to Montreal about 6:00 A.M. tomorrow morning.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6.

Ernie at Sea: Reverse Course

Continue on with Ernie Boyer and the crew of the Wesley Barrett as they set sail once again – this time heading back west.  Read the next ten entries and discover how the sea treated the liberty ship on its back to the states.

Tuesday, July 2, 1946 –

It was clear today.  Our messman has been sick for several days.  The dishes are not washed and the food is not served right.  Today we had a showdown.  Some of the fellows went to the Captain and others went to Mr. Crist.  The cowboys organized and elected a chairman.  We set sail about 2:45 P.M. for America.  We had a fire and boat drill.  We anchored just off the harbor while the ship was searched for stowaways.  We entered the Baltic Sea that afternoon and it was rougher than the other time we had crossed it.

Wednesday, July 3, 1946 –

It was clear and warm today.  Our messman is finally back with us.  We turned our watches back an hour.  Expecting to hit Kiel Kanal about 12 A.M.  Saw Sweden clearly this morning.

Thursday, July 4, 1946 –

It is a wonderful day.  The sun was hot.  Around 12 AM we dropped anchor at Kiel and a waterboat came out [and] filled up our water tanks.  We entered the Kanal about 7:30 this morning.  I thought of the folks at home [and] what they would be doing since this was the “fourth.”  Traveled through canal all day and left it about 5:30 P.M.  We then entered the North Sea.

Friday, July 5, 1946 –

It was cold [and] windy today.  The sea was rough.  We are traveling about 13 knots an hour.  The slopchest was open today.  Not much happened except tonite we entered the channel.

Saturday, July 6, 1946 –

Today was clear and cool.  We spent the day coming down the English Channel.  We passed Dover [and] her Cliffs about 3 A.M.  We saw the shores of England this morning.  Turned watches back [and] left the Channel about noon.

Sunday, July 7, 1946 –

It was a clear warm July day.  We are now in the North Atlantic.  Had our Sunday services at 10 A.M. and Mr. Crist was in charge.  We had a good Turkey dinner.  I was feeling a little dizzy since the boat is rocking a little more.  The slopchest was open for the last time.

Monday, July 8, 1946 –

It was cloudy [and] cool today.  We had a discussion period today on God vs Evolution.  Had another fire [and] boat drill.  Some fellows caused a lot of confusion [and] noise last night by pretending to clean the joint up about midnight [and] waking every one up.

Tuesday, July 9, 1946 –

Cloudy again today.  Another day that was almost uneventful except for reading, sleeping, and playing games.  What a life.

Wednesday, July 10, 1946 –

It was chilly [and] cloudy again today.  Sea was very rough.  This makes it bad because we loose time.  A notice came in today that the ship was going to Seattle, Wash and then to Hawaii, from there to China.  It had the cowboys pretty excited but it is probably just a joke.  We can’t be sure where we are going to land since we have heard Boston, New York, Newport News, Houston, Pensacola [and] Baltimore.

Thursday, July 11, 1946 –

It was cloudy [and] chilly again today.  The sea was the worst I have seen it yet.  The water would come shooting over the bow which is 50 or 60 ft high.  The bow would raise about 10 ft out of the water and then plunge in the water to a depth of about 30 ft.  Large waves about 30 ft high would roll past the boat and she would really toss.  It wasn’t safe to walk across the deck.

Images and journal entries taken from a scrapbook of Boyer’s experience (catalog # 1000 0001 4085).

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.

Ernie at Sea: Poland

This installment of “Ernie at Sea,” sees Ernest Boyer come face to face with the destruction and terror of the Second World War.  In the final days of June, 1946, the liberty ship, Wesley Barrett, reached Poland to unload cattle – part of a wider humanitarian relief project aiding war-torn Europe. These next four entries of Boyer’s account highlight his reaction to the scenes in Poland he stumbles across and seeks.

Friday, June 28, 1946 –

It was warm and cloudy today.  We fed cows for the last time.  We brought up our equipment for the last time.  The poles started unloading the ship about nine.  After dinner we were given shore leave and for the first time in two weeks, my feet touched land.  We [hopped] a bumpy ride to Tangford and from there took a ride in another truck (their bus system) to Danzig.  The destruction is almost beyond description.  Block after block of houses and buildings completely destroyed and laid to the ground.  Children would flock around us and beg for cigarettes and candy.  It is surprising how soon you become accustomed to the destruction and poverty and hardly notice it.  That is the shame of it.

Saturday, June 29, 1946 –

It was clear and warm today.  We were not permitted to have shore leave after 9 A.M.  I did go ashore in the morning to try to get souvenirs.  However most of the stores were closed due to election time.  Went ashore in the afternoon again to take some pictures.  Went to a bombed out church.  We were not back on the ship until about 3 P.M.  The [?] had the ship unloaded by this time and had the manure hauled out.  They did a very thorough job and even scrubbed the ship down with water.

Sunday, June 30, 1946 –

No shore leave permitted again today.  Still due to the elections.  The streets are considered unsafe.  However we were told that after 6 P.M. we had shore leave.  Some of us went to a battlefield.  It is supposed to be the place where the first shots were fired at the beginning of World War II.  We were warned of the Poles to be careful because there were still a lot of land mines around.  There were pillboxes in which there were helmets, gas masks and other equipment.  I got several for souvenirs.  There were also skeletons of men lying around with parts of clothing still on their frame.  We returned to ship about 9 P.M.  We didn’t have any church service today.

Monday, July 1, 1946 –

It was clear [and] warm today.  Went ashore in morning until 10 AM at which time we were supposed to be back on ship.  The ships board then read that we would sail 9 AM. Tuesday.  I then went ashore [and] took more pictures.

Images and journal entries taken from a scrapbook of Boyer’s experience (catalog # 1000 0001 4085).

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

Ernie at Sea: Land Ho!

We last left Ernest Boyer and the crew of the liberty ship, Wesley Barrett, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean heading to Europe.  After two weeks at sea, land is finally spotted – the countryside of England.  Read Ernie’s next five entries as he describes entering the English Channel and continuing on through the North Sea before reaching his ultimate destination, Poland:

Sunday, June 23, 1946 –

Today was the day!  We had entered the English Channel about midnight last night.  Although it was foggy earlier it lifted about 9:45 A.M. and we got the first sight of land.  It was a point on the English coast called Lizards Point.  It was very pretty and we could see farms and pasture land.  Had our Sunday Services on deck after dinner.  We were also given a short talk on what to do and what not to do in a foreign part.  Almost rammed another boat this evening.  Wrote home and to Kay because we were to stop for a pilot at Dover who would take us through the channel.

Monday, June 24, 1946 –

Cool cloudy today.  It rained this afternoon.  We saw the coast of England again today and around ten o’clock we saw the white cliffs of Dover.  It was almost hard to believe I was viewing a spot I had heard so much about.  They were very impressive as seen through the mist and fog of morning.  About 10:30 we dropped anchor at Dover.  At this point our pilot got off and took our letters ashore.  Since we were anchored we had a good view of land.  We entered the North Sea late this afternoon.  Some of the fellows  are getting sick again.  The percer says it is probably due to the change of climate.  I have been getting along O.K. though.

Tuesday, June 25, 1946 –

Two cows died today.  It will probably not prove of interest later on but it is important news on ship.  We took on a German Pilot to guide us through North Sea since this area is heavily mined.  We saw many sunken ships which was proof of the fact.  Around seven o’clock we could see the German coast and around nine o’clock we entered the Elbe River.  After going down the Elbe for about three hours we came to the entrance of the Kiel Kanal.  There we were so near land we could almost touch it.  Men flocked around the boat trying to trade all sorts of things for cigarettes.  I stayed up until about one but finally retired knowing I had to get up at six.

Wednesday, June 26, 1946 –

It is a clear warm day.  This proved one of the most interesting days of the trip.  We spent nearly all morning going through the Kiel.  We past the very beautiful part of German countryside.  Children ran down to the waters edge and we threw them oranges and apples.  Leaving the Kanal we entered the Kiel Bay at the City of Kiel Germany.  We entered the Baltic Sea this afternoon.  Mr. Templeton, one of our foreman has become very ill.  Our destination is not far off.

Thursday, June 27, 1946 –

Cloudy this morning.  It rained about dinnertime.  We saw land about suppertime and at 8:00 P.M. we entered the Harbor of Newport, Poland.  A tug took us in and docked.  Polish officers entered the boat with Tommy-guns strapped to their backs.  It seemed like about every officer or soldier carried a rifle or something.  They had a hard time finding the stowaway.  We stayed up late mainly because our bunkroom was filled with Poles trying to trade off cameras, binoculars etc. for cigarettes.  We finally got to bed.

Images and journal entries taken from a scrapbook of Boyer’s experience (catalog # 1000 0001 4085).

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Ernie at Sea: Crossing the Atlantic

In the last installment of Ernest Boyer’s adventure on the Wesley Barrett, the crew finally set sail for Poland to deliver cattle to the war-torn country. This installment continues the trek across the Atlantic Ocean.  What does Ernie consider “one of the most beautiful sights [he] has ever seen”?  Want to know how he helps a stowaway that joins the trip?  Find out below.

Here are Ernie’s next five entries:

Saturday, June 15, 1946 –

Rained again today.  We passed two other ships.  Got into the routine of feeding watering and bedding the cows.  We turned our clocks up one hour.  It cleared up this evening and there was a full moon on the ocean.  It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen!

Sunday, June 16, 1946 –

It was a beautiful day on the ocean.  We had to move some cattle up [a] deck because Hold 2 was too hot.  After supper we had a short religious service.  Mr. Wolgemuth was in charge.  We passed another ship today.

Thursday, June 20, 1946 –

Arose this morning to see another day of fog.  Had a wonderful meal this noon.  It was claimed it was due to the Louis victory since our entire Galley crew is colored.  Fog lifted a while in the afternoon but settled down again this evening.  We saw sea gulls today so land can’t be too far.  Turned our watched up another hour.  Passed another ship.

Friday, June 21, 1946 –

Today was a perfect sailing day.  There were no white caps and the ocean was peaceful.  When we got up we could see the Queen Elizabeth several miles away.  There were more sea gulls.  We are anxiously awaiting the time we will see England.

Saturday, June 22, 1946 –

It was rather cloudy again today.  Had a rather interesting experience today.  About two-thirty I felt our engines stop so went topside to see what the trouble was.  I discovered we had been hailed by the Boulder Victory and were given stowaway from that ship to take back to Poland.  He was a young fellow who was going to try to get to his uncle in New York City.  His parents were dead.  I gave him a shirt and he seemed thankful.  Worked pretty hard today pulling straw.  We turned our watches up another hour.

Images and journal entries taken from a scrapbook of Boyer’s experience (catalog # 1000 0001 4085).

Part 1. Part 2.

Ernie at Sea: Setting Sail

Continuing the story of Ernie Boyer’s participation in a humanitarian relief effort after World War II, here are his next four entries as a “seagoing cowboy”:

Tuesday, June 11, 1946 –

Got up at about 5:30 and packed.  Ate breakfast and went to Pier X.  Sam decided to wait for Bruce so that was one less.  We were told we would leave on the Wesley Barrett a liberty ship which took cattle to Danzig, Poland.  We reported back at 1:00 P.M. at which time we were injected for Tetnus and [examined] for V.D.  The Maritime Commissioner signed us on the ship and we then boarded a launch to the Wesley W. Barrett.  We started bedding stalls and really had to work hard.  Since we had missed ships supper and hadn’t eaten any supper we were really hungry.  All we had to eat was salmon and crackers.

Wednesday, June 12, 1946 –

They started loading the cattle on about 12:30 A.M. and finished about noon today.  I didn’t feel too good.  I think it was the fish and crackers.  We watered and hayed the animals.  We set sail for Poland about 7:30 P.M. and about 10:30 P.M. the boat began to rock.  Went to bed tired but not seasick.

Thursday, June 13, 1946 –

Got up at six which was our regular rising hour.  I began to feel dizzy and so did most of the fellows.  I didn’t do much work.  Sent my breakfast and dinner overboard.  I was alright laying down but when I tried to walk I would get dizzy again.  I was lucky though.  By the afternoon I was feeling O.K.  It [made] me feel better to laugh at the other fellows.  A good joke was when Prof. vomited his teeth overboard this afternoon.

Friday, June 14, 1946 –

Feeling good today.  Some of the fellows are still pretty sick.  It rained today which made it rather gloomy.  We were assigned regular places to work.  My place is hold 2 with Joe Brechbill, Bert Asper and Nevin Smith.  We had a fire Emergency Drill today.  Saw another ship.

Images and journal entries taken from a scrapbook of Boyer’s experience (catalog # 1000 0001 4085).

Part 1.

Ernie at Sea: Pierside

Back in July we unveiled the story that in the summer of 1946, seventeen-year-old Ernest Boyer, traveled to Poland by sea on the Wesley Barrett and helped deliver over 900 cattle to the war-stricken country.  At the time the blog post was written, we had only a letter Boyer wrote home to his family on June 11, 1946 and a notecard from the Brethren Service Committee thanking him for his assistance with their livestock project.

Last Friday, Sarah, a Boyer Archives work-study, was accessioning a box and came across a scrapbook entitled “Cattle Boat Trip to Poland.”  Jackpot! Ah, the joys of working in an archives – you never know what treasures await you in a box.

The scrapbook includes a day-by-day account of Ernie’s experience at sea and photos he snapped along the way.  Over the next few days, we will share his entries and offer a glimpse into the life of a “seagoing cowboy” after World War II. His notes have been transcribed and any spelling or grammar mistakes have been preserved for authenticity purposes.

Here are Ernie’s first four entries detailing the buildup before setting sail:

Friday, June 7, 1946 –

We left Lancaster, Penna about 8:00 A.M. and traveled by car to New Windsor, Md.  We were told to go from there to Newport News, Va. And be ready to sail in a few days.  Ate dinner at the Brethren Service Center and left about 2:30.  We hitch-hiked to Baltimore and took a ferry to Norfolk.  We traveled all night and arrived at our destination about 6:30 A.M.  We took the ferry with no reservations so I slept on an overstuffed chair.

Saturday, June 8, 1946 –

Arrived at Norfolk about 6:30 and took another ferry to Newport News and took a taxi to Pier X which is the UNRRA [United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration] shipping dock.  There we were told to resort [?] Monday morning.  We went back into town and secured lodging at the Catholic Maritime Club.  The fellows in our group were as follows: Barry Paugstat, Joe Brechbill, Prof. Wolgemuth, Bruce Lehman, Sam Derr (?), Royce Saltzman, Bert Asper, Ellis Krieder, Jean Kerr, Bob Lehman, Clyde Solhenberger, Nevin Smith and Melvin Hess.  Booked the town over that afternoon.

Saturday, June 9, 1946 –

Went to church at a large Methodist church.  We were made to feel very strangely, the “Southern Hospitality.”  After loafing that afternoon we returned there for the evening service.  Shorty decided to leave the group and take a coal boat to Maine.  We were sorry to see him go but he was determined.

Sunday, June 10, 1946 –

Found out we were to leave Tuesday at 8:00 A.M.  This made me feel good since we were tired waiting.  We bought sport equipment to be used on the ship.  Spent the afternoon at the Lutheran Service Center reading and playing games.  Went to bed early.

Want to know what happens next?  Check back soon.

Images and journal entries taken from a scrapbook of Boyer’s experience (catalog # 1000 0001 4085).

Seagoing Cowboy

Two weeks ago we shared a quote from Ernest Boyer regarding the influence his grandfather had on him and his understanding of service.  The importance of service is very apparent through the many works of Dr. Boyer. For instance, the Carnegie Foundation’s publication, High School, suggested that American high schools incorporate a service unit that students must complete before they graduate and enter the “real world.”  In the mind of Boyer, community service was just as valuable a learning experience for high schoolers as efficient time in the classroom.  As it turns out, Boyer knew about the significance of service as a high school student firsthand.

On June 12, 1946, as a recent high school graduate, a young and vibrant Ernie Boyer left Newport News, Virginia on a ship called the Wesley Barrett bound for Poland.  Fighting in Europe had finally ended one year earlier, but the devastation left in the wake of the Second World War could not be mended overnight.  After World War II ended, European countries were desperate for aid – in any and all forms.  Countries around the world and renowned service organizations rose to the occasion and worked hard to help get an entire continent back on its feet.

One such form of aid was shipping livestock across the Atlantic to ensure that families living all throughout Europe had access to basic food. Providing a family with a cow rather than just a ration of milk, helped provide ongoing relief.  And after an event as destructive as World War II, that’s exactly the type of aid most Europeans needed.  This is still the premise of Heifer International today.  Of course, shipping livestock from one continent to another is no easy feat and requires volunteers willing to make the month-long trip with the animals.

Heifer International estimates that over 7,000 “cowboys” crossed the Atlantic Ocean with these shipments of animals, caring for them along the way. Ernie Boyer, at age 18, was one of them.  After becoming involved somehow with the Brethren Service Committee, a faith-based organization shipping livestock to Europe after the war, Boyer left for Poland.  In a letter to his family, dated June 11, 1946 (a day before his departure), Boyer wrote: “We are really lucky to get heifers because almost every boat leaving is taking horses.  Our supervisors said it would be at least an 8 week trip because we have a slow ship.”

It is probably not wrong to imagine that many young men signed up for this task because they sought a sense of adventure.  It gave them the chance to see more of the world, meet new people, and experience new things.  I’m sure Ernie Boyer was thrilled to have that opportunity.  One can also imagine, though, that despite the excitement, the joy of serving others in need and making a small but powerful impact had more of an effect on the young man than anything else – one that shaped his future career, beliefs, and energy – all because he chose to serve.

Check out the history page of Heifer International for more information about seagoing cowboys.