James J. Wyatt, Jr. (Jimmy) is the son of James J. Wyatt and Bessie Raffield Wyatt. He was raised in the Marie Community of Laurens County, Georgia.
When Jimmy was 16 years old, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese and the Americans entered into World War II. Jimmy joined the State Guard in Laurens County as soon as it was organized.
The State Guard were issued single barrel shotguns and began having regular practice sessions. The local Guard had only one machine gun. It was passed around and the guard members had the opportunity to fire it once or twice during each practice session so that they would all be somewhat proficient in the use of the gun. The shotguns were used for most of the shooting practice.
One area that was used most was the Cochran property on the Glenwood Highway. The property was known as Hillside Retreat. It was somewhat of a resort area for many years. The Cochrans allowed the use of their property on a regular basis. Overnight sessions were held there on weekends when the guard would set up camp.
Lookouts were posted and some people were put in the woods around the camp to see how close they could get without being detected.
Life at home became very different from pre-war years. Food was rationed, gas was rationed as were tires and many other things. Living on a farm was a real blessing as far as food was concerned. Sugar and Coffee were missed but the family had vegetable gardens and raised hogs and cows that provided some meat for them. Jimmy's mother canned everything including sausage and fried chicken. Gas and tires were a bigger problem.
Jimmy and his friends were at the dating age. With the gas shortage, their social life was somewhat curbed. They did find some unique ways to get around though. On a few occasions they resorted to a school bus. Mr. Hobbs in their community drove a school bus and of course, there was gas for it. The young men used the bus for dating sometimes. They were known to go as far as Dudley and Montrose in the bus.
Jimmy graduated from Dublin High School in 1943. He was 18 years old. His Draft Classification was 1-A. Jimmy's daddy was a farmer. It was decided that his daddy would go to Savannah and get a job at the shipyard and let Jimmy run the farm. That way he could get a deferment. Farm crops were considered essential to the war effort.
Jimmy ran the farm of about 300 acres. His dad came home on weekends to consult with him on what needed to be done the following week. Four families were living and working on the land to provide the needed labor for so many acres of cultivation. Jimmy was responsible for the family at home which consisted of his mother, brother and two sisters. Extended family living with them were his Grandmother Wyatt and 2 aunts.
The war became more intense and the classification remained 1A with deferment for farm work. In early May all that changed. The draft board said no more deferment for Jimmy. He was told to report to Fort McPherson for an exam in early May 1945.
Jimmy went for the exam. It was just a matter of time before he would be told to report for duty.
Julian Ward of Dublin had been in the Merchant Marines. Jimmy's daddy talked to Mr. Ward and it was decided that Jimmy should join the Merchant Marines.
Within days, Jimmy was off to Charleston, South Carolina to the National Maritime Office to sign up with the Merchant Marines. He was accepted and sent to Sheep's Head Bay in Brooklyn, N.Y. for training. He was there for 3 months.
His next training was on a ship based in Baltimore, Maryland. The training on the ship lasted about a month. Some days the training took place in port and sometimes the ship went out into the Atlantic Ocean for offshore training.
Each new recruit in the Merchant Marines trained in the 3 lesser jobs on the ships. These jobs were working on the deck, the engine, and in the mess hall.
While training on the ship out of Baltimore, news was received of the end of the war. Much celebrating took place on the ship. Jimmy remembers especially the singing that was done.
Jimmy's first job was on a troop transport ship. He traveled from Norfolk, Virginia to LeHarve, France to pick up a load of troops and return them to New York. The trip over to LeHarve was a miserable trip. The ship ran into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean enroute. Jimmy was seriously seasick. He spent 3 days in the cabin. A crew member finally took him some Saltine Crackers and insisted that he get out in the fresh air. He said it would help and it did.
The troops were happy to be coming home. One of the main ways for the troops to pass away the time en route home was to play cards, shoot craps and other gambling activities. It seemed that they had not had anyplace to spend money while overseas and they all had money to gamble with on their return trip home.
Jimmy worked as a messman (working in the galley handling food) on his second trip. This was also a troop transport. They went to Marseilles, France for the next load of troops. The troops were taken to Boston, Mass. These Atlantic Ocean crossings took about 10-12 days each way depending on the weather. The crossings were rough because they were basically empty with no heavy cargo in the hold.
After the second trip on a troop transport, Jimmy came back to Laurens County for a visit. He took the train from Boston to Atlanta and rode a Greyhound Bus on to Dublin.
Jimmy doesn't remember the exact pay he got for his work in the Merchant Marines. The pay varied depending on the location of the ship. For example, crossing certain parallels he was paid more than he was in U.S. waters. Also the kind of cargo carried was instrumental in determining the pay. Some cargo was classed as hazardous and the pay was more than for other cargoes. The crew received a per day rate while in foreign ports. They were only paid while in U.S. ports. Any money earned at sea or in foreign ports was held until they reached a U.S. port again. They could draw against their pay if they needed money for anything. Also, the ship had a store where they could buy goods and charge against their pay. Though he doesn't remember what the pay was, he does remember that he sent home $125.00 per month for his family.
Jimmy was home for a little over a week when he went to Savannah to pick up another job on a ship. He signed on as a firemen-water tender looking after the steam engine boilers on this ship. This trip would take him to Tocopila, Chile. The ship was empty leaving Savannah. They traveled through the Panama Canal and down to Chile passing the Equator on their way. This called for the traditional celebration when crossing the Equator for the first time.
It took a long time to get the 10,000 tons of nitrogen loaded into the ship in Tocopila, Chile. The city did not have a deep water port so the cargo had to be taken to the ship, which was at anchor in the ocean, by barge. The loading process was very slow. After the ship was fully loaded, they traveled back up north to the Panama Canal. Again they went through the Canal to the Atlantic Ocean and then on to Brest, France where they delivered the nitrogen.
The trip back to Savannah was with an empty ship. This makes for a rough passage because the ship is so light. Even with water ballast, the weight is not the same as with a full cargo.
Another trip to Europe was next. They loaded 10,000 tons of canned food for Bremer, Germany. These cans were the one gallon size like the army and instutions used. They picked up a pilot in England on the way to Germany. This pilot knew where the mines were and could more safely steer the ship to their destination. They traveled through the North Sea to Bremerharven, Germany then took the river south about 50 miles to Bremer, Germany. The security forces there were Russian soldiers. It took nearly a month to unload.
Bremer, Germany was in a shambles. The buildings had been bombed and just rubbish was left. The only building he saw still standing was a bomb shelter. The residents in Bremer were hungry, displaced and generally in bad shape. The ship was in port at Bremer about one month.
Jimmy decided on the way back to the States that it was time for another visit home. Jimmy was happy to be home for a visit with relatives and friends.
While at home, Jimmy and his good friend, H.D. Hobbs, who was also in the Merchant Marines decided it was time to take a trip together. They couldn't get a ship leaving out of Charleston, South Carolina so they went on up to Baltimore, Maryland. A ship was leaving there going to Aruba. The trip to Aruba was uneventful. While here the captain obviously got some bad whiskey. He went beserk on the way back to the United States. Waving a gun around and scaring everybody was just part of the problem with him. Someone radioed ahead of the trouble on board. The ship was diverted to San Juan, Puerto Rico where they left one beserk captain. Upon their return to Baltimore, Jimmy came home for another visit.
Before long, Jimmy was ready for another trip and went to Savannah to pick up another ship. This trip was to Kobi, Japan. They loaded 26,000 bales of cotton for that trip. Some cotton was taken on in Savannah, some in Charleston and the load was completed in Jacksonville. This called for another transit of the Panama Canal. The ship had engine problems en route to Japan. After leaving the Canal, it was decided to go up the coast to California for repairs. Then out into the Pacific they had more problems. The tele-motor/power steering was causing trouble. They worked on it twice before getting to Kobi. All in all, it took 45 days to get to Kobi. Upon arrival there, the damage from the war was very evident. Jimmy remembers the efficiency of the Japanese in unloading the ship was impressive. They were the best winch operators he had seen in his travels. Working shift work for three days and nights, the ship was unloaded in three days.
Coming back across the Pacific Ocean they encountered a typhoon. The empty ship bounced all over the ocean. For two days they could not cook on the ship because the pots would not stay on the stove. During the typoon, a United States ship named Fort Dearborn broke up in the rough seas. They saw wreckage from this ship. They made port in Oregon.
The ship was drydocked for about a month. The crew enjoyed being in Oregon. Meeting the people, even meeting some pretty girls.
After their ship was repaired, they loaded up with 10,000 tons of coal. This was to be delivered to Wellington, New Zealand. The ship was so heavily laden that they could not carry enough fuel for the entire journey. They made a refueling stop in Hawaii. Wellington, New Zealand was, by far, the cleanest, nicest and prettiest place he had seen on his travels. The girls were pretty also. Their return trip to the United States took them through the Panama Canal again. They made port in Beaumont, Texas.
On the way back to the States, Jimmy had done some real thinking. He knew that he was beginning to find life in the Merchant Marines exciting. He liked traveling to different ports and meeting different people. It was time to make a decision on what he wanted to do with the remainder of his life. It was also time for a visit home. He took the train from Beaumont, Texas to Valdosta, Georgia and the Greyhound Bus on to Dublin.
While at home, he met Betty Veal. This was the deciding factor. He decided to give up life at sea. He left the Merchant Marines in May 1947.
Now it was time to look for a job locally. He knew he didn't want to go back to farming full time. Lovett and Tharpe Hardware Company gave him a job. He was supposed to start working there on a Monday. A few days prior to that, Mr. Horace Hobbs told Jimmy's daddy that if Jimmy wanted a job he should talk to the people at the new woolen mill that was coming to town.
Instead of taking the Lovett and Tharpe job, Jimmy went to the J.P. Stevens office in East Dublin. He was hired immediately. He began working at J.P. Stevens on August 25, 1947. This began a 42 year career with J.P. Stevens Company.
Jimmy Wyatt and Betty Veal were married in December, 1947. They have now been married 52 years. They raised four children, Jim, Randy, Bobby and Beth on the Wyatt family farm. Jimmy and Betty continue to live on the family farm. They are active in the Marie Baptist Church and in community activities.
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