November 30, 2024 • 13 mins
Henry Ellis Carlisle was from Pierson Florida and a fern grower. He served in the Ordnance at Tidworth England
During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War.
Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. Please visit me on Facebook, or email me at warandfamily@outlook.com and help me get the letters home
Thank you for listening!
During WW2 men and women were deployed throughout Europe and the Pacific and their only means to communicate home was through letters, handwritten notes to assure those at home they were alright and waiting for letters from their loved ones to provide semblance of support and normalcy. Over the years I have collected letters with the intention of returning to family - but first I’d like to share who these men were, where were they from and the context of where the soldiers were and what role they played in the War.
Please sit back and get to know these members of the greatest generation. Please visit me on Facebook, or email me at warandfamily@outlook.com and help me get the letters home
Thank you for listening!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Welcome to Warren Family Letters Home. I'm your podcast host,
Lauren Muse. Come and visit with me as I share
letters written by World War II servicemen and women and
tell their stories before, during, and after the war. I
found the letters and antique stores and auction sites, and
(00:44):
in my podcast, I tell their stories. The mission of
this podcast is to return World War II history to families,
one letter and one story at a time. It's my
hope that someone will hear the podcast, recognize family connections,
and contact me These letters home. They belong home with
(01:05):
descendants to cherish and show with pride. This week's episode,
we will hear a letter written by Private First Class
Henry Ellis Carlile, US Army. Henry Ellis Carlisle was born
(01:33):
May twenty eighth, nineteen twenty in Pearson, Florida. He was
one of ten children born to Francis and Rosella Carlisle.
On the nineteen twenty census, I find that the family
is living on their farm in Pearson, and on the
nineteen thirty census, Henry is listed as nine years old
and his father's occupation is now stated as a manager
(01:56):
at a logging camp. On the nineteen four Census. Henry
is now nineteen years old and still living on the
family farm. His father is once again listed with an
occupation of farmer. On July one, nineteen forty one, Henry
Ellis Carlisle presented himself to the local Board number two
(02:18):
in DeLand, Florida and registered for the draft. He was
described as five foot eleven, one hundred and seventy five pounds,
brown eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. He was
twenty one years old and notes he was working for O. F.
Greenland as a fern grower, and he knows that his
mom is the person who will always know his address.
(02:42):
Just thirty days after that, on July thirty first, nineteen
forty one, Henry married Myrtle Anne Braddock, and about a
year and a half later, Henry was called up to
serve in the US Army on January fourth, nineteen forty
three and reported to Camp Landing in Florida. Camp Landing
(03:04):
is located in Stark, Florida, which is between Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida.
During World War Two, the camp was expanded to a
total of one hundred and fifty thousand acres to accommodate
the growing number of recruits and training troops. Because of
its size and location in isolation, it also served as
(03:26):
a German pow camp. From September nineteen forty two to
April of nineteen forty six. More than four thousand German soldiers,
U boat sailors and civilian enemy aliens were detained at
Camp Landing. But we find Henry here assigned to the
(03:46):
one hundred and eighty seventh Ordnance Depot D Company, nicknamed
the Mad Dogs with a moto motto of geared to maintain.
In January of nineteen forty three, the one hundred eighty
seventh Ordinance made their way to Tidworth, England, to lay
the groundwork for the staging of troops and supplies for
(04:07):
D Day. Tidworth, located in southern England, was identified by
Lieutenant Colonel David Crawford as a favorable place to set
up an Ordnance Branch depot. At the time, the British
already had a camp at Tidworth and it was the
site of a former British tank and artillery shop. There
(04:27):
were also good railway and road connections to the town,
and the British agreed to withdraw their own troops to
make way for the Americans. During the war, over two
million American servicemen and women were in England, most for
training before leaving for Africa or the European continent. There
(04:47):
were so many Americans the British nicknamed it the Friendly Invasion.
The Americans brought a boost to the English economy as
they bought things like Coca cola and cigarettes and candy.
The In most part, the social aspects went well, but
there were many that resented the Americans having funds and
being well fed and overall well off when many in
(05:11):
England were struggling just barely making it by. To try
to smooth over these social issues, the War Department distributed
a pamphlet titled Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain. The
pamphlet gave information about life in Britain, the history, the culture,
their slang. It also made it clear that the troops
(05:33):
had to understand that the Americans and the British had
to get along to accomplish the ultimate goal, which was
to defeat Hitler. The pamphlet stressed to never criticize the
king or the queen, and don't show off. It stated
the British don't know how to make a good cup
of coffee, you don't know how to make a good
(05:55):
cup of tea, so it's an even swap. The pamphlet concluded,
suited by telling the servicemen that while in Great Britain,
their slogan should always be it is always impolite to
criticize your hosts. It is militarily stupid to criticize your allies.
(06:17):
During the war, many servicemen and women celebrated birthdays and
wedding anniversaries far from their loved ones, and it had
to have felt lonely. And On August one, nineteen forty three,
one day after his second wedding anniversary, per Private first
class Henry Ellis Carlyle, wrote home to his wife Myrtle
(06:40):
in Florida, Dear sweetheart, I'm thinking today where we were
two years ago. I know you thought about it yesterday
being our anniversary, but I also know that you never
thought about it any more than I did. I sure
never spent the day yesterday like I did two years ago. Go,
(07:00):
and I know you didn't either, sweetheart. I only hope
I am with you on our next one and we
can make up for the one we were separated. Honey.
I received your letters and keep writing because it doesn't
take but a few days for me to get them.
And I sure appreciate your letters very much. They keep
me going. Honey. I can't write much on this vmail,
(07:24):
but I'll write you as much as possible. I'll close
for now, Love, Ellis. Pfc. Carlisle was just twenty three
when he wrote this letter home. What a strange world
he must have felt he was living in. Everything in
his life turned upside down, and so far away from home.
(07:49):
I spent a lot of time researching the one hundred
and eighty seventh Ordnance Company D, and I'm sorry to
say that I can't find much on their history, so
I'm not sure or if they were one of the
units that stayed behind in England to keep pushing arms
and equipment to the continent, or if they were part
of the D Day invasion. If any of my listeners
(08:12):
have some information on this unit, please send it to
me for a future update. In nineteen forty five, one
hundred and eighty seventh Ordnance Company D was deactivated at
Campshanks in New York, and Pfc. Carlisle went home to
his family in Pierson, Florida. On the nineteen fifty census,
(08:36):
Henry Carlisle and his wife are noted as being on
a farm which was actually a fernery. Ferneries are very
popular in Florida, and I saw noted somewhere that Pierson,
Florida is the world capital of ferns, and more than
eighty percent of the floral arrangements in the United States
(08:57):
have ferns that were grown in Florida. It takes about
six weeks for a fern to grow to maturity, and
the weather in Florida allows farmers to grow crop after
crop year round. Many of the farms have been around
for quite some time. And if you remember reported on
(09:17):
Henry's draft registration, he said that his place of employment
was O. F. Greenland Ferneries, and Greenland Ferneries is actually
still in business in nineteen fifty three. The couple had
a son, who I believe is still living in Florida.
On July seventh, nineteen seventy one, Henry Ellis Carlisle passed
(09:42):
away in South Daytona, Florida. He was only fifty one
years old. His obituary was reported in the Orlando Evening
Star on July ninth, nineteen seventy one, and it stated
that he was a resident for sixteen years, a native
of Pearson, a fern grower, and a veteran of World
(10:03):
War II. Celebrating family milestones while serving overseas in the
military can be very difficult for both our service members
and for those at home. If you know of a
military spouse spending an anniversary alone, perhaps you could honor
mister Carlyle and send her some flowers and make sure
(10:26):
to ask the florist to add some beautiful ferns. Thank
you for joining me for another story of a World
War II hero. All details for this podcast were discovered
(10:47):
by me using public military newspaper and genealogy records. If
you know of the Carlisle family of Pearson, Florida, please
pass my podcast onto them. I'd love to return Pfc.
Carlisle's letter home. You can reach me at my email
(11:09):
Warren Family at outlook dot com, or you can find
me on Facebook Warren Family Letters homepage. And we are
now in the midst of the holidays season. Please consider
volunteering or donating to Reads across America. Their mission is
(11:33):
to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach
the next generation the value of freedom. Wreaths Across America
will lay rees on the graves of veterans in over
one hundred and fifty locations in the US, with a
large convoy coming from Maine heading to Arlington National Cemetery.
(11:55):
The trucks will roll on December seventh, and if you
have a chance to see the car, please do. I
promise you will never forget it. There are many ways
you can support this amazing organization. Please check out their
website Reads across America dot org. In the words of
(12:18):
Pierre Clayson, to be killed in war is not the
worst that can happen. To be lost is not the
worst that can happen. To be forgotten is the worst.
Please share my podcast again. You can find me on
(12:39):
Facebook or you can email me at Warrenfamily at outlook
dot com. Always please support our military, both active and
veteran status. These men and women sacrifice to protect the
country and its ideals, whether in war or peacetime. Until
(13:03):
next week, this is Lauren Muse and you have been
listening to Warren Family Ladders Home
Welcome to Warren Family Letters Home. I'm your podcast host,
Lauren Muse. Come and visit with me as I share
letters written by World War II servicemen and women and
tell their stories before, during, and after the war. I
found the letters and antique stores and auction sites, and
(00:44):
in my podcast, I tell their stories. The mission of
this podcast is to return World War II history to families,
one letter and one story at a time. It's my
hope that someone will hear the podcast, recognize family connections,
and contact me These letters home. They belong home with
(01:05):
descendants to cherish and show with pride. This week's episode,
we will hear a letter written by Private First Class
Henry Ellis Carlile, US Army. Henry Ellis Carlisle was born
(01:33):
May twenty eighth, nineteen twenty in Pearson, Florida. He was
one of ten children born to Francis and Rosella Carlisle.
On the nineteen twenty census, I find that the family
is living on their farm in Pearson, and on the
nineteen thirty census, Henry is listed as nine years old
and his father's occupation is now stated as a manager
(01:56):
at a logging camp. On the nineteen four Census. Henry
is now nineteen years old and still living on the
family farm. His father is once again listed with an
occupation of farmer. On July one, nineteen forty one, Henry
Ellis Carlisle presented himself to the local Board number two
(02:18):
in DeLand, Florida and registered for the draft. He was
described as five foot eleven, one hundred and seventy five pounds,
brown eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. He was
twenty one years old and notes he was working for O. F.
Greenland as a fern grower, and he knows that his
mom is the person who will always know his address.
(02:42):
Just thirty days after that, on July thirty first, nineteen
forty one, Henry married Myrtle Anne Braddock, and about a
year and a half later, Henry was called up to
serve in the US Army on January fourth, nineteen forty
three and reported to Camp Landing in Florida. Camp Landing
(03:04):
is located in Stark, Florida, which is between Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida.
During World War Two, the camp was expanded to a
total of one hundred and fifty thousand acres to accommodate
the growing number of recruits and training troops. Because of
its size and location in isolation, it also served as
(03:26):
a German pow camp. From September nineteen forty two to
April of nineteen forty six. More than four thousand German soldiers,
U boat sailors and civilian enemy aliens were detained at
Camp Landing. But we find Henry here assigned to the
(03:46):
one hundred and eighty seventh Ordnance Depot D Company, nicknamed
the Mad Dogs with a moto motto of geared to maintain.
In January of nineteen forty three, the one hundred eighty
seventh Ordinance made their way to Tidworth, England, to lay
the groundwork for the staging of troops and supplies for
(04:07):
D Day. Tidworth, located in southern England, was identified by
Lieutenant Colonel David Crawford as a favorable place to set
up an Ordnance Branch depot. At the time, the British
already had a camp at Tidworth and it was the
site of a former British tank and artillery shop. There
(04:27):
were also good railway and road connections to the town,
and the British agreed to withdraw their own troops to
make way for the Americans. During the war, over two
million American servicemen and women were in England, most for
training before leaving for Africa or the European continent. There
(04:47):
were so many Americans the British nicknamed it the Friendly Invasion.
The Americans brought a boost to the English economy as
they bought things like Coca cola and cigarettes and candy.
The In most part, the social aspects went well, but
there were many that resented the Americans having funds and
being well fed and overall well off when many in
(05:11):
England were struggling just barely making it by. To try
to smooth over these social issues, the War Department distributed
a pamphlet titled Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain. The
pamphlet gave information about life in Britain, the history, the culture,
their slang. It also made it clear that the troops
(05:33):
had to understand that the Americans and the British had
to get along to accomplish the ultimate goal, which was
to defeat Hitler. The pamphlet stressed to never criticize the
king or the queen, and don't show off. It stated
the British don't know how to make a good cup
of coffee, you don't know how to make a good
(05:55):
cup of tea, so it's an even swap. The pamphlet concluded,
suited by telling the servicemen that while in Great Britain,
their slogan should always be it is always impolite to
criticize your hosts. It is militarily stupid to criticize your allies.
(06:17):
During the war, many servicemen and women celebrated birthdays and
wedding anniversaries far from their loved ones, and it had
to have felt lonely. And On August one, nineteen forty three,
one day after his second wedding anniversary, per Private first
class Henry Ellis Carlyle, wrote home to his wife Myrtle
(06:40):
in Florida, Dear sweetheart, I'm thinking today where we were
two years ago. I know you thought about it yesterday
being our anniversary, but I also know that you never
thought about it any more than I did. I sure
never spent the day yesterday like I did two years ago. Go,
(07:00):
and I know you didn't either, sweetheart. I only hope
I am with you on our next one and we
can make up for the one we were separated. Honey.
I received your letters and keep writing because it doesn't
take but a few days for me to get them.
And I sure appreciate your letters very much. They keep
me going. Honey. I can't write much on this vmail,
(07:24):
but I'll write you as much as possible. I'll close
for now, Love, Ellis. Pfc. Carlisle was just twenty three
when he wrote this letter home. What a strange world
he must have felt he was living in. Everything in
his life turned upside down, and so far away from home.
(07:49):
I spent a lot of time researching the one hundred
and eighty seventh Ordnance Company D, and I'm sorry to
say that I can't find much on their history, so
I'm not sure or if they were one of the
units that stayed behind in England to keep pushing arms
and equipment to the continent, or if they were part
of the D Day invasion. If any of my listeners
(08:12):
have some information on this unit, please send it to
me for a future update. In nineteen forty five, one
hundred and eighty seventh Ordnance Company D was deactivated at
Campshanks in New York, and Pfc. Carlisle went home to
his family in Pierson, Florida. On the nineteen fifty census,
(08:36):
Henry Carlisle and his wife are noted as being on
a farm which was actually a fernery. Ferneries are very
popular in Florida, and I saw noted somewhere that Pierson,
Florida is the world capital of ferns, and more than
eighty percent of the floral arrangements in the United States
(08:57):
have ferns that were grown in Florida. It takes about
six weeks for a fern to grow to maturity, and
the weather in Florida allows farmers to grow crop after
crop year round. Many of the farms have been around
for quite some time. And if you remember reported on
(09:17):
Henry's draft registration, he said that his place of employment
was O. F. Greenland Ferneries, and Greenland Ferneries is actually
still in business in nineteen fifty three. The couple had
a son, who I believe is still living in Florida.
On July seventh, nineteen seventy one, Henry Ellis Carlisle passed
(09:42):
away in South Daytona, Florida. He was only fifty one
years old. His obituary was reported in the Orlando Evening
Star on July ninth, nineteen seventy one, and it stated
that he was a resident for sixteen years, a native
of Pearson, a fern grower, and a veteran of World
(10:03):
War II. Celebrating family milestones while serving overseas in the
military can be very difficult for both our service members
and for those at home. If you know of a
military spouse spending an anniversary alone, perhaps you could honor
mister Carlyle and send her some flowers and make sure
(10:26):
to ask the florist to add some beautiful ferns. Thank
you for joining me for another story of a World
War II hero. All details for this podcast were discovered
(10:47):
by me using public military newspaper and genealogy records. If
you know of the Carlisle family of Pearson, Florida, please
pass my podcast onto them. I'd love to return Pfc.
Carlisle's letter home. You can reach me at my email
(11:09):
Warren Family at outlook dot com, or you can find
me on Facebook Warren Family Letters homepage. And we are
now in the midst of the holidays season. Please consider
volunteering or donating to Reads across America. Their mission is
(11:33):
to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach
the next generation the value of freedom. Wreaths Across America
will lay rees on the graves of veterans in over
one hundred and fifty locations in the US, with a
large convoy coming from Maine heading to Arlington National Cemetery.
(11:55):
The trucks will roll on December seventh, and if you
have a chance to see the car, please do. I
promise you will never forget it. There are many ways
you can support this amazing organization. Please check out their
website Reads across America dot org. In the words of
(12:18):
Pierre Clayson, to be killed in war is not the
worst that can happen. To be lost is not the
worst that can happen. To be forgotten is the worst.
Please share my podcast again. You can find me on
(12:39):
Facebook or you can email me at Warrenfamily at outlook
dot com. Always please support our military, both active and
veteran status. These men and women sacrifice to protect the
country and its ideals, whether in war or peacetime. Until
(13:03):
next week, this is Lauren Muse and you have been
listening to Warren Family Ladders Home
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