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How We Came To Cradock And Why 

I am conscious of a constant question as to why I left my beloved tropics and took up a residence in Tidewater Virginia. To answer those two questions requires a rather long explanation. 

Both the wife and I dislike cold and like tropical weather and life. In 1916 I secured a transfer from The Office of the Superintending Constructor, Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy Massachusetts to the Supply Department, U.S. Naval Static Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There I was assigned quarters and we proceeded to thaw out. (I was far from well when I left Quincy, was running a temperature on board ship and the ship’s doctor put me in the sick-bay and the quarantine officer at Havana sent me to Los Animas Hospital for observation. After twenty four hours I was able to convince him that I was not going to have pneumonia and he released me and I continued by journey. After occupying the temporary assignment of quarters for a short time I was assigned to quarters in one of the most desirable bungalows designated as “Quarters M”. Didn’t regain health as I had hoped to. Lots of work of an unfamiliar character and drive – drive -. However kept “plugging along” and was thinking of asking for a furlough --- “then came the war”. Good-bye all thought of rest. I was told to take entire charge of “dry provisions”, something I knew nothing about, and had to work out my own salvation as to ways and means. To start with there was the known population of the Station and the Station Vessels, comprising about 1000 persons, but there was the unknown factor of possible requirements of visiting ships. Rather a large order for a sick man but I got through with it. We had less trouble with the supplies during the war than we did afterward when “The Naval Base” (our principal source of supply) sent us stuff that had been in France and elsewhere and was frequently unusable. However I came through even that and kept going until the Fall of 1921 when I took the Station doctor’s advice and came North for a change and rest for a while. Went back to work in my beloved tropics after two months and again kept going until the Fall of 1924 when the Station Doctor advised me to run up North in an effort to regain my health. Had 60 days there and came on back to the job but little improved. Struggled along until the late Summer of 1926 when I went down and out with a complete physical breakdown. Simply had to apply for retirement and was so ill that in October 1926 I was unconscious, put on a stretcher and carried out to the U.S.S. “Kittery”, a naval transport, and sent North, for good, this time. I have only a very hazy memory of what happened on the voyage and when in the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. Nobody expected me to live to shore. I am told that I had four sinking spells on the ship and two at the hospital but, in spite of opinions, I rallied. I was on the ship eleven days and was eleven days in hospital. While I lay unconscious the wife was frantically hunting for a place to take me. Finally she found a fairly suitable one, but had to buy it to get possession. On November 2, 1927 they brought me here on a stretcher and it was months of toil for the wife to accomplish what was said to be impossible, keep me alive and get me on my feet. She did it. Pure thought transference and will power. I had given up and let go. So that is how and why we came to Cradock.

2/20/28