There was a large picture of the employees of the Tyrone Reliance factory in the Tyrone Daily Herald in late Sept. 1943. Located in the building last occupied by Big Yank, Reliance was known before the World War II as the largest manufacturer of cotton garments. Reliance was engaged during the war in making many items of clothing and materials for the armed forces, including parachutes, field jackets, coveralls, fatigue uniforms, army and navy shirts and camouflage suits. The superintendent of the Tyrone plant during the war was S. C. Kirby. Under the Payroll Deduction plan, Reliance employees bought about $600 weekly in war bonds.
The work of the world-famous Pennsylvania State Police was curtailed about 25 percent between Pearl Harbor and Sept. 1943. Lt. Col. C. M. Wilhelm, State police commissioner revealed that a quarter of the force had been lost, largely because of military and other wartime demands. The force was reduced from 1,600 to about 1,200, seriously affecting the department, stated Wilhelm, with the greatest losses in the bureaus of traffic and criminal identification.
Tom Waring, Tyrone native and brother of Fred Waring, visited Tyrone from New York City to act as an auctioneer at the Wilson Theater for a mammoth military circus and comedy show. Waring, a master showman, like his brother Fred, and a pianist, vocalist and all-around entertainer, auctioned off bonds from the stage of the Wilson.
A big Victory Ball for about 700 high school student canvassers for war bonds, was held at the Moose Hall. The day before the Ball, the Tyrone High School band gave a concert at the Tyrone Canteen to mark the unveiling of the bond thermometer, which recorded daily the bond sales for the remaining days of the war bonds drive. The Tyrone area had raised $361,900 for the third war bond drive, leaving just $103,0312 to fill the Tyrone district’s quota with two days to go.
Dave Blair made the thermometer and Lew Cowher and John Gill painted it.
Allied headquarters in the Southeastern Pacific reported at least 58 Japanese planes and seven ships were destroyed in an attack on Wewok harbor in the New Guinea sector, crippling the Japanese attempt to meet the growing Allied threat. The Japanese threw up a furious anti-aircraft barrage, which shot down three Allied bombers and damaged several others.
The attempt to re-establish operational bases in northeastern New Guinea was effectively countered.
Allied troops of the American Fifth Army, entered Naples, the second largest port in Italy and the southern defense garrison of Rome. The German army in Italy was still intact, but on the run, abandoning Naples to overwhelming superiority of the Allies, but only after destroying the harbor and everything of military value within the city.
This major success took less than a month and featured both American and British troops, fighting under the banner of the American Fifth Army and marked the first seizure of a major Axis city on the European mainland since the beginning of the war.
“The highest market price” was advertised by Shaffer Meat Plant in Tyrone, where the meat processing was done for the network of many Shaffer stores in the surrounding counties. If you were buying, instead of sell, Getz Market Store offered fresh dressed chickens. Spring chickens, cleaned with head and feet off sold for 59 cents per pound, plump yearlings were 56 cents a pound. Scrapple was point-free and seven cents per pound. Baked beans were also point free and 15 cents a pound, while sandwich spread was 49 cents and four points per pound. Triangle Shoes promised the “Best price anywhere in the U. S.” Kampus kicks went for $2.99 to $4.45 and were advertised as good looking and with miles of “extra wear. “That’s why young ladies are beating a path to our door.”
At the movies down town, the El Patio was showing Claire Trevor, Edgar Buchanon and Jess Parker in “Good Luck Mr. Yates;” “Hitler’s Madman,” featuring John Carradine and Patricia Morrison; “Girl Trouble.” starring Don Ameche and Joan Bennett; “No Escape,” with Mary Brian, Dean Jagger and John Carradine again; “A Stranger in Town,” with Frank Morgan, Richard Carlson and Jean Rogers and “Outlaws of Pine Ridge,” featuring Rod Barry and Jean Rogers again, during the week.
Next door at the Wilson Theater, you could watch Virginia Weidler, Edward Arnold and John Carroll in “The Youngest Profession;”, “We’ve Never Been Licked,” with Richard Quine, Anne Gwynne, Noah Beery Jr., and Martina O’Driscoll and “Abbott and Costello Hit the Ice,” starring Bud and Lou, of course plus Gary Sims and Patric Knowles.
On the gridiron at Gray Field, Tyrone took on Philipsburg on Oct. 15, 1943. It was the 16th meeting between the two schools in the days before Philipsburg and Osceola Mills merged. The Philipsburg Mounties had won just two of the previous 15 contests, 7-0 in 1932 and 6-0 in 1935. The 1938 game ended up in a 7-7 tie. Tyrone had shut out the Mounties for three straight games, 28-0 in 1940, 7-0 in ‘41 and 19-0 in ‘42.
Philipsburg refused to let the past stand in the way however in upsetting the Orange and Black 7-6. In banishing all hopes for the Eagles’ fourth straight Western Conference title, the Mounties pushed across a score in the fourth quarter and added the extra point to squeak past Tyrone to send the local boys under head coach Max Cook to their second loss of the season, both by a single point.
Tyrone started the scoring with a second-quarter score, but wasn’t able to penetrate the Philipsburg goal line again for the duration. Following a Philipsburg punt, Tyrone took over at their own 41. Clay Lamborn went off right tackle for 12 yards and a first down. Then Fred Bressler scooted around left end for 10 more. A multiple-lateral play Bressler to Wendell Wrye to James Miller was good for the 37-yard touchdown, but a line plunge for the extra point was stopped short.
The Eagles threatened in the third quarter. Bressler pass to Wrye for 37 yards to the P-23. Bressler picked up six yards at right tackle, then Lamborn went off right tackle and cut in for four yards to the Mounties-15. Lamborn went through left guard for seven yards to the eight and Bressler bulled for a first down at the six. Bressler made it to the three, but the Eagles were knocked back by a 15-yard penalty. Two plays later, Philipsburg intercepted Bressler’s pass and the threat was over.
Not only was the Tyrone scoring opportunity done, but Philipsburg drove down the field to score to tie the game and kicked the PAT at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Tyrone (5-2) had several more chances, but couldn’t score.
