Description
This scrapbook is a significant piece of China Post 1 history and contains information from the 20’s, 30‘s and 40’s. It contains newspaper articles, pictures, photographs of personality’s and activities in the old Post Home and sketches of Wards tomb and presents a pictorial representation of China Post 1 history. Time has taken its toll on the pages of this scrap book nevertheless, in our ongoing effort to preserve our history for another one hundred years and beyond we have digitized and published this book. This book is a scrapbook maintained by the Post from about 1934 – 1948. This is one of five books that survived the Japanese occupation of China and that chronicles the history of the Post prior to the Japanese occupation and after the conclusion of WWII. China Post 1 will continue to survive. This is an accurate reproduction of the entire scrap book. At the time that this scrapbook was initially compiled, little was known about the impact of acid-based paper products. It is important to preserve the integrity of the original document therefore everything was reproduced regardless of its condition. The final entry is from November 7, 1948…. Months before our final exile from China.
OCTOBER 20, 1948, POST COMMANDER OTIS R. FITZ, ADJUTANT CASH HELSETH, AND A SMALL PARTY “MADE A QUICK TRIP TO SUNGKIANG, RAISED TWO FLAGS, STOOD THE TRADITIONAL MINUTE OF SILENT PRAYER, SALUTED, AND LOWERED THE FLAGS.
SOMEDAY WE WILL RETURN.”
THE SITUATION CONTINUED TO WORSEN AND A MEETING OF THE POST EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WAS HELD. GENERAL CHENNAULT, AS CHAIRMAN, INSTRUCTED THAT ALL POST RECORDS BE BOXED UP AND FORWARDED TO AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN INDIANAPOLIS. OUR OFFICIAL EXODUS FROM SHANGHAI COMMENCED ON 22 NOVEMBER 1948.
ON 3 AUGUST 1949, THE MEETING WAS HELD AT THE PENINSULA HOTEL IN KOWLOON AND A SET OF GUIDELINES WERE ESTABLISHED FOR KEEPING THE POST ALIVE UNTIL IT COULD RETURN TO CHINA. CASH HELSETH WAS TO DO WHATEVER WAS NECESSARY TO ENSURE SURVIVAL OF THE POST. WITH HIM, HE HAD FIVE BOUND BOOKS AND A SCRPBOOK THAT REPRESENTED ALL OF THE POSTS RECORDS FROM IT INCEPTION.
THANKS TO YOU, ALL OF THOSE RECORDS HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED AND WILL BE PRESERVED FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS. THIS IS A REPRODUCTION OF ONE OF SIX BOOKS THAT SURVIVED THE JAPANESE INVATION AND SUBSQUENT EXILE FROM CHINA. THIS IS THE PRODUCT OF YOUR EFFORTS AND WORK AS A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, OFFICER OF THE POST AND MEMBER OF THE POST.
