As Spring came to Western New York 80 years ago, the end of the long four years at war was in sight. Everyone was so weary of the stress and strain of loved ones in danger as well as the sacrifices that war shortages had brought. The delivery of the evening paper was welcomed instead of dreaded …
Elroy Audley Shannon, Service #6086086, got off the train at Jamestown’s Erie Station and started his walk up to 861 Spring Street, the home of his daughter, Mrs. Erma Grace Fish. E.A., as he was normally addressed, was in the Navy, enlisting September 30, 1942, and he served with the 70th Construction Battalion. Back home for a 30-day furlough, he had something in his duffle bag that Erma would have a hard time believing.
E.A. was born in 1897 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. He married Nora Mowrey of Greenville, Pennsylvania in 1918 and they moved to Jamestown, living for a while at 6 Lister Street when he worked as an Erie Railroad policeman. They had two children, Erma, born in 1919 and James Leroy, born in 1920. James served in the U.S. Army Air Corp in China. Nora passed away in 1936.
As E.A. unpacked his duffle bag, he brought out a set of ball bearings bearing the marking of Marlin-Rockwell Corporation, Jamestown, NY. According to a subsequent newspaper story. E.A. and his unit were stationed in Arzew, Algeria, when he saw a sub-assembly of an engine from a crashed U.S. bomber. He dismantled it and found the bearings. As E.A. had worked in the Final Inspection Department at Marlin-Rockwell Corp. (MRC) before leaving for the service, he speculated whether or not he may have already had these particular bearings in his hands.
During World War II, MRC was very involved in manufacturing several kinds of bearings. MRC had also worked to develop new kinds of bearings with increased life spans and the ability to allow them to work with greater accuracy and at higher temperatures. They also developed “retainers” for the roller bearings to replace the former riveted ones.
Erma and her husband, John, also a World War II veteran, owned John Fish’s Café at 108 Fairmount Avenue and they lived for many years on Hunt Road. James has a career as a commercial airline pilot, and lived in the Houston, Texas area.
After his furlough, E.A. was to report to Camp Endicott at Davisville, Rhode Island. He later moved to Erie, Pennsylvania and passed away in March 1964. Thank you, E.A. and James Shannon and John Fish for your service.
