Dedham Tales

On October 29, 1940, a blindfolded secretary of war Henry Stimson reached his hand into a glass container filled with capsules containing draft lottery numbers, and pulled out the “lucky” number. The previous month, President Franklin Roosevelt had signed the Selective Service Training and Service Act, instituting the first peacetime draft since the Civil War. Across the state, anxious families listened to the radio to learn if their loved ones would be one of the first to be called. In Dedham, 22-year old Stephen Ferris was eating lunch at his Fairview Street home when he heard his mother cry out as his number, 158, was called first. According to the Transcript, Ferris responded by proclaiming “Hooray for Uncle Sam, I’m the first one!”

When the first draftees and volunteers began reporting a few weeks later, local draft boards were encouraged by the Federal Draft Headquarters to honor the new recruits with ceremonies to commemorate their departure. The first such ceremony in Dedham was held on November 18 at the Superior Court House as two hometown boys and one Canton resident (all volunteers) began their year of service. Among the more than 50 well-wishers gathered in the early morning chill were family, clergy, selectmen, draft board officials and members of V.F.W Post 2017. The new recruits then walked a short distance to the train station on the other side of Route One, where they boarded a train headed to Camp Devens after a brief stop in Boston.

The following January, when larger numbers of men began reporting, more elaborate departure ceremonies were held. An honor guard and small marching band accompanied recruits from the Court House to the train station as appreciative residents watched and cheered along High Street. Draftees were often served refreshments by the Women’s Defense Corps, and given a billfold with cash by the Dedham Association for Men in the Service. In 1944, Naval recruit Phillip Jackson performed his drumming duties one last time before handing over his drumsticks to his replacement and boarding the train to begin his own time of service.

These are just a few of the many inspiring and amazing stories in my latest book, World War II Massachusetts. The book is available at the Dedham Museum and Archive, The Blue Bunny Bookstore, and from all online booksellers. I will be featuring more stories throughout the coming year as the nation and the world observe the 80th anniversary of the events of the last year of the war.