WWII Hawaii Overprint Money - In Case of Japanese Invasion After Pearl Harbor

By Mary Dodge Allen 

Have you ever seen a one dollar bill with the word HAWAII printed on it? It might be worth more than you think.

Hawaiian Overprint note (Smithsonian Institution)

Why Print Hawaiian Money?

The shocking attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Army on December 7, 1941 propelled the United States into WWII. It also ignited fears that the Hawaiian Territory - essentially a group of isolated Pacific Islands - was in danger of a Japanese invasion.

Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941 (Public Domain)

Territorial Governor J. B. Poindexter (with the approval of President Franklin Roosevelt) placed Hawaii under martial law and ceded administrative control of the islands to the United States Army. Lt. General Delos C. Emmons was appointed military governor.

Lt. General Delos C. Emmons (Public Domain)

After the Pearl Harbor attack, people in Hawaii began hoarding money to be used as emergency funds in the event of a Japanese invasion. 

Lt. General Emmons realized that if the Japanese successfully invaded the islands, they could seize millions of dollars in U.S. currency from Hawaiian financial institutions. This, in turn, could be harmful to the larger American economy.

A new strict monetary policy was devised to prevent this from happening - the creation of Hawaii Overprint Notes. 

A New Monetary Policy

On January 9, 1942, Lt. General Emmons issued an order that made it illegal for individuals to hold more than $200 cash per month. Businesses could only hold up to $500 in cash. 

Any excess cash needed to be deposited in local banks immediately. (To help ensure compliance, the deadline was extended to August 1). Violators could be fined up to $5,000 or imprisoned.

BYU-Hawaii History Professor Isaiah Walker described the challenges his grandmother faced as she lived through this period of martial law: 

"She remembered the mandatory blackouts, people opening and reading your mail and listening in on your personal phone calls. The confiscation of currency was another adjustment that everyday people had to endure."

New Money For Hawaii

In early March 1942, a U.S. Treasury detail arrived in Hawaii with $20 million U.S. dollars specifically printed for circulation in the Hawaiian Territory, in exchange for $20 million in regular currency held by Hawaiian banks.

(Smithsonian Institution)

(Smithsonian Institution)

(Smithsonian Institution)

The new bills, in $1, $5, $10, and $20 denominations all had "HAWAII" printed in large letters on the back, and printed in small letters in two places on the front. These San Francisco Reserve notes also featured brown seals and serial numbers, for easy identification.

(Smithsonian Institution)

In the case of a Japanese invasion, this specially-marked currency would immediately be rendered useless.

The Hawaii Overprint notes went into circulation in June 1942 and were in use through October 1944. They were issued by the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank - and were sometimes referred to as, "Emmons Notes."

They were initially intended for use only in the Hawaiian Islands, but these notes spread throughout the Pacific Theater of the war, partly because some U.S. troops received specimens with their pay packets.

The End of the Japanese Threat 

By mid-1944, a Japanese invasion was no longer considered a threat. On October 21, 1944, the U.S. Treasury Department announced the end of the Hawaii currency rules. And President Roosevelt followed up with Executive Order 9489, which ended martial law on the islands.

In total, the Treasury issued 65 million overprint notes, with a face value of 

$400 million.

During August and September 1945, following the end of the Pacific war, huge amounts of Hawaiian overprint currency notes were redeemed. An estimated $200 million in notes were subsequently burned at incinerators on the islands, including the Aiea Sugar Mill in Oahu.

Aiea Sugar Mill, Oahu (Public Domain)

One of the locations where the Hawaii Overprint notes were burned.

But many of these Hawaii Overprint notes survived, kept as souvenirs by servicemen. Some notes circulated on the U.S. Mainland through the 1940s and 1950s. The United States Navy even paid overseas vendors with these notes through the 1960s.

Collectors of these notes can be found at coin and currency auctions. I recently saw a Hawaii Overprint note for sale on eBay for over $200.00.

___________________

Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides

Mary's story, entitled: A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need. 

Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:   Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Book

Weird Inventions That Saved Lives: The Morrison Shelter

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Hello friends!

Today we are starting a new series on Weird Inventions That Saved Lives. I post on the 2nd of each month, so be sure to check back for the next article in the series on May 2nd!

Take a look at this contraption. Upon first glance, it looks very strange to see a couple sleeping in what appears to be a cage. I did a double take the first time I saw this photo. But this odd invention actually saved thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of lives during WWII. This is a Morrison Air Raid Shelter. 

We are very familiar with the photos of WWII showing families entering cellars or bunkers or huddling in underground tunnels. But especially in Europe, not every family had a backyard with a cellar, or access to an underground tunnel. The British government noted that thousands of lives were being lost, not from the actual impact of the bombs, but from the surrounding destruction. Walls would cave in or blow out from the blast and then the entire roof would collapse on top of innocent civilians, killing many. So they did what any good government would do, they brainstormed ways to keep their population safe. 

The Morrison Shelter, also known as the Table Shelter, was designed by John Baker and named after Herbert Morrison who was the Minister of Home Security at the time. The device was designed with all functionality and practicality in mind. During the day, it could be used as a table, thus the nickname 'table shelter'. But during the night, or during air raids, it could be used as a shelter. The top was a 3mm steel plate and the frame was also steel with wire mesh. Even the bottom of the shelter was made with a metal lath "mattress" type of design. 

A couple demonstrates the use of the Morrison Shelter
Photo By Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer
Imperial War Museums, Public Domain.

The government tested the shelters before they began distribution. In this photo, you can see how the shelters would function as protection during the air raids. This photo is from one of the said tests with dummies inside the shelter. 

Test of the Morrison Shelter with dummies inside.
Photo By Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer
Imperial War Museums, Public Domain.

The next step was to distribute some of these shelters to see them working in real time. The British government provided these shelter kits free to low-income families and at a price to wealthy families. The shelter came in a box, and the families were required to assemble the shelter themselves. The kit provided three tools and three-hundred-fifty-nine parts which they would then bolt together inside the home. Half a million of these shelters were distributed by the end of 1941, and another round of one-hundred thousand by the end of 1943.

In one examination, the British government observed forty-four houses that had been damaged in an air raid. Inside those forty-four houses were one-hundred-thirty-six people. Three people were killed, thirteen seriously injured and another sixteen were slightly injured. The three that were killed were directly hit by the bomb. And of those thirteen who were seriously injured, some of those had not sited the shelter properly. The result was that the shelters did indeed save lives. Those 44 homes had suffered severe damage from the attack, and yet one-hundred-twenty of the one-hundred-thirty-six escaped without severe injury. 

While the Morrison Shelter may be a weird or strange-looking contraption, it was invaluable during WWII. 

Have you ever heard of the Morrison Shelter? How would you feel about sleeping inside a metal cage to keep your family safe?

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with her prince charming and three children. Between enjoying life as a mom of three littles, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/  and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Knitting and Spying by Nancy J. Farrier

 Do you like to knit? Do you have the nerve to knit in the middle of an enemy stronghold and work messages into your knitting to pass on to your country’s armed forces? That is what the women featured in today’s blog did during war time. I salute them for their bravery and determination. Let’s take a look at what they accomplished and how they alerted their forces using their needlework.

Knit/Purl Stitches by WillowW
Wikimedia Commons

First, keep in mind how knitting is done. There are two basic stitches. The knit stitch looks like a “v” and the purl stitch makes a small bump. Also, dropped stitches were used to make a hole. That means these patterns could have been read by feel in low light if needed. Plus, women were encouraged to knit and make items to help soldiers, so nothing was thought about a woman sitting in her window or in public with her knitting needles clicking away. Little did the opposition realize that she didn’t have to focus on her work, but could be watching and listening to later report conversations and movements. A perfect spy!

Phyllis Latour Doyle

Phyllis joined the RAF in 1941 after a friend was killed by Nazi soldiers. She planned to train to be an airplane mechanic but others noted her potential. Because her father was French, Phyllis grew up speaking fluent French and would be valuable as a spy behind lines. She agreed to become a spy and was trained by a cat burglar to do things like cross a roof top undetected.

1904 Picture of
Woman Knitting

At the end of her training, Phyllis parachuted into Normandy. She pretended to be a teenager to throw off suspicion. She traveled by bicycle and chatted with German soldiers. She would then go someplace secret, bring out her knitting and use one of her 2,000 codes to send a message. She would hide the knitted message by winding the strip around a knitting needle and inserting it in a hair tie. Each time she used one of the codes she’d been given she would mark the code, so she wouldn’t use it again.

Phyllis had to keep on the move. She would send her message and then go quickly before the Germans could trace the source of the message. They did not catch her. She often had to sleep on the forest floor unless she found some Allied sympathizers. She ate what food she could find and was often hungry, but she always had her knitting and her silk thread she used for her patterns.

In 2014, Phyllis was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration. She did not want to get this award but did it for her family. She was 93 at the time. Her family found out about her spy work in the late 1900’s when one of her sons read about her on the internet. She did not want to brag about the service she’d done for her country.

Madame Lavengle

WWI Ad for Knitting
By Marguerite Martyn
Wikimedia Commons

During WWI the Germans occupied her home putting her and her children at risk. Madame Lavengle did not quake in fear. Instead, she joined the resistance and used her knitting and her children to send coded messages right under the noses of the Germans in her home.

In an upper room, Lavengle sat at a window knitting. Every day she would sit there and knit. Such an innocent pastime, right? Meanwhile, she would tap her foot on the floor and her children below her would copy down the code she signaled with the tapping. The German Marshall in her home never suspected she was gathering and passing on information. Amazing.

Molly “Mom” Rinker

Molly Rinker owned a tavern during the Revolutionary War. She often had British soldiers in her town and in her tavern. She wanted to do something to help the Revolution, so she would go to the park and sit on a high hill or rock and knit. As she watched and listened, she would tie knots in her ball of yarn as a code. Then she would drop the yarn at a certain place for the Revolutionary soldiers to find. In this way, a woman in a lowly occupation, helped out her fledgling country. Thank you, Molly.

Binary Pattern by Kurt Pippen Fowler

Many people enjoy the art of knitting. With the onset of computer coding and languages, knitters learned to do patterns in binary language. When Morse code was invented, they used a variation of stitches to make the dot and dash for Morse code and sent messages that way. Knitting is so much more than making a pretty garment.

Do you knit? Do you do another type of needlework? Would you have been brave enough to be a spy? To be dropped behind enemy lines and send coded messages? Or to gather information right under the enemy’s noses? What a challenge and what amazing women.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

A WOOPs, A Blue Moon, & A Secret City

These three things may seem to have nothing in common. Yet they do in my latest release, a novella called Beneath the Rare Blue Moon.

The story takes place in eastern Tennessee and begins on October 31, 1944, the night of a blue moon.

WOOPs

The heroine, Kathleen Forrest, is with the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Women Officer of Public Safety unit. These women were not part of the military, like WACs or WAVEs, and their stories aren’t nearly as well-known.

Yet, their responsibilities were considered so important they were taught judo, trained to handle guns, issued .38 caliber pistols, and often worked with trained military dogs.

Since the men were heading off to fight in WWII, the TVA hired these women to guard and protect potential targets, such as hydroelectric dams, aluminum factories, and other important industries, from sabotage (TVA).

“Blue Moon”

You’ve probably heard of the phrase “once in a blue moon” which, literally, has three definitions:

The second full moon in a month. That means the date falls at the end of the month. 

The third full moon when four moons appear in a season. Usually, only three moons appear in winter, spring, summer, or fall.

The moon’s appearance when, under certain atmospheric conditions, it takes on a bluish hue. This can happen when “volcanic eruptions or large-scale fires release particles into the atmosphere” (Blue Moon).

The next blue moon is May 31, 2026.

Our next seasonal blue moon is May 20, 2027.

The Story ~ Kathleen Forrest, a WOOPs heroine of Beneath the Rare Blue Moon, has an unusual experience on a blue moon night when she disarms a potential “saboteur.”

“Secret City”

To find the “Secret City” on a map, you’ll need to locate Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

It’s also known as the “Atomic City” and, by those who lived and worked there, “The Reservation.”

The town was built by the military as a base for the Manhattan Project, the top-secret atomic bomb research program. 

Here’s the scientific info: 

“The Y-12, K-25, and S-50 plants were each built in Oak Ridge to separate the fissile isotope uranium-235 from natural uranium, which consists almost entirely of the isotope uranium-238. The X-10 site, now the site of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was established as a pilot plant for production of plutonium using the Graphite Reactor, used to develop full-scale plutonium production…” (Oak Ridge).

The Story ~ Kathleen and Army intelligence officer Roger Craig are recruited on a secret mission to find a possible saboteur in the "Secret City." 

I visited Oak Ridge a few years ago. The community center built by the Army as a gathering place for the residents is now a small history museum with amazing exhibits that preserve and honor the town’s legacy.

Beneath a Rare Blue Moon released this week and is available on Amazon.

Johnnie Alexander writes award-winning stories of enduring love and quiet courage. Her historical and contemporary novels weave together unforgettable romance, compelling characters, and a touch of mystery. A sometime hermit and occasional vagabond who most often kicks off her shoes in Florida, Johnnie cherishes cozy family times and enjoys long road trips. Readers are invited to discover glimpses of grace and timeless truth in her stories. Connect with her at johnnie-alexander.com.

Photos

Norris Dam ~ By Johnnie Alexander

City Seal. By http://www.cortn.org/PW-html/CDBGConsolidatedPlanHomePage2008.htm, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64434822

Aerial View. By Department of Energy Oak Ridge - http://www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1931232 

Shift Change. By Ed Westcott / US Army / Manhattan Engineer District - Ed Westcott / American Museum of Science and Energy, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7006834

Billboard outside Oak Ridge. By James E. Westcott - https://www.flickr.com/photos/amse/2965051856/sizes/z/in/photostream/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12075242

The Chapel on the Hill ~ By Johnnie Alexander

Sources ~ Each source accessed on December 5, 2025.

Blue Moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon.

Oak Ridge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Ridge,_Tennessee. Accessed December 5, 2025.

TVA. https://www.tva.com/the-powerhouse/stories/home-front-defenders. Accessed December 5, 2025.

A WWII German Pilot's Surprising Act of Mercy

 By Mary Dodge Allen

On December 20, 1943, a few days before Christmas, the surviving American crewmen of a severely damaged B-17 bomber named "Ye Olde Pub" received an unexpected gift... their lives.

Crew of B-17, "Ye Olde Pub" 

L-R standing: Bertrund "Frenchy" Coulombe; Alex Yelesanko; Dick Pechout; Lloyd Jennings; Hugh Eckenrode; Sam "Blackie" Blackford

L-R kneeling: Charles Brown, pilot; Spencer Luke, co-pilot; Al "Doc" Sadok, navigator; Robert Andrews, bombardier (Public Domain)

B-17 Bomber Pilot Charles Brown:

It was only the second bombing mission for pilot Charles Brown, age 21, who grew up on a poor West Virginia farm. But it was the first mission for the rest of his B-17 crew, and it was a grueling one.

Lt. Charles Brown, B-17 Bomber Pilot (Public Domain)

The mission target: A Focke-Wulf 190 fighter aircraft plant near Bremen, Germany.

The aircraft plant was well-defended. Anti-aircraft guns filled the sky with exploding flak, while German fighter planes flew through the B-17 bomber formation, their machine guns firing.

Charles Brown's B-17, named "Ye Olde Pub," was hit several times on the bombing run. After releasing its bombs over the target, the B-17 sustained more damage from pursuing fighters. One engine was dead, causing the bomber's speed to drop. As it fell behind the formation, Charles Brown knew his B-17 was now a sitting duck.

Multiple fighters continued attacking, and Charles resorted to the daring move of flying directly at them to make his B-17 less of a target. One attack damaged the cockpit's oxygen system. Since they were flying at twenty-two thousand feet, an altitude with scarce oxygen, Charles and his co-pilot passed out. The bomber's wings tilted to the side as it went into a steep dive. 

B-17 Bomber in a dive (Adobe)

When the B-17 reached the oxygen-rich air at ten thousand feet, the pilots came to and took action. The damaged bomber shook violently as they pulled back on the controls with all their strength to stop the dive. Miraculously, the bomber's plunge gradually slowed. It finally leveled out close to the ground; so close it blew leaves from trees and roof shingles from houses.

The B-17 was now flying with only one good engine and two rough engines. They were 35 miles from the English Channel and would soon be flying over the heavily-defended German coastline. Because two of his crewmen were too badly injured to bail out, Charles decided to stay with the plane and try to make it back to England. He told the rest of his crew to bail out, but they all agreed to stay on the bomber with Charles.

German Fighter Pilot, Franz Stigler:

Lt. Ludwig Franz Stigler, ace German fighter pilot (Public Domain)

Franz Stigler, an ace fighter pilot, spotted the B-17 bomber flying slowly toward the English Channel. He began his attack run, knowing he only needed one more downed bomber to earn the coveted Knight's Cross.

 Knight's Cross Medal (Public Domain)

But as he focused through his gun sight, he realized something was wrong. He flew closer to the shot up B-17 and was amazed it was still flying, with the entire left half of its horizontal stabilizer gone, part of its nose blown away, and huge holes in the fuselage.

When he looked through the gaping holes, he saw the dead tail gunner and wounded crew members tending each other. At that moment, something happened inside him. Franz lifted his finger off the trigger and decided, "This will be no victory for me. I will not have this on my conscience for the rest of my life."

Franz knew, up ahead, the German coastal anti-aircraft gunners would be getting ready to shoot the wounded bomber down. He could be court-martialed for sparing the lives of the B-17's crew, but he was committed. He flew alongside and slightly above the bomber, gambling that the flak crews below would recognize the familiar shape of a Messerschmitt fighter plane and hold their fire. They did.

Painting "A Higher Call" by John D. Shaw

Inside the B-17 Bomber:

Charles Brown saw the English Channel up ahead, but then his heart sank when he saw the German fighter plane flying just above his right wingtip. It stayed in that position as they began flying over the Channel. Charles couldn't believe the fighter pilot hadn't shot his B-17 down.

German Messerschmitt bf 109 (Public Domain)

Charles turned toward the fighter, locked eyes with its pilot, and - to his surprise - the German pilot saluted him, before breaking off and flying back home. Charles wasn't able to hear his parting words, "Good luck, you're in God's hands."

The B-17 continued losing altitude as it flew over the English Channel, but somehow Charles Brown managed to keep it flying until it landed safely at an American airfield close to the English coastline.

Charles Brown couldn't shake the image of the enemy fighter pilot saluting him. He wondered who the pilot was, and why he had spared their lives.

After the War - Charles Brown:

In the late 1980's Charles was retired and living in Miami with his wife, Jackie. He had always remained curious about the German pilot, so he decided to search for him, realizing his chances of finding him were slim. Even if the German pilot had survived the war, he might not still be alive.

In 1989, Charles wrote a letter to the editor of the Jagerblatt (Fighter Journal), the official newsletter of the Association of German Fighter Pilots. He described his encounter with the German fighter plane, the date, and that he'd like to make contact with the German pilot. He included his Miami mailing address. (Charles left out specific details about the encounter, as a verification test for whoever might respond to his letter.)

After the War - Franz Stigler:

Franz moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada, where his first wife had family. He quickly learned English and worked as a diesel mechanic for logging companies until his retirement. He was now living a quiet life in Canada with his second wife. Over the years, Franz had also remained curious about the fate of the damaged B-17. He wondered if the pilot and crew had made it safely back to England.

In January 1990, his issue of Jagerblatt arrived. Franz was stunned when he read the letter Charles Brown had written. He immediately wrote a letter in response and mailed it to the Miami address.

The Phone Call:

Charles was excited to read Franz's letter. He dialed information, obtained Franz's Vancouver phone number and called him. At first, the phone call was awkward. Then Franz began accurately describing the details of the encounter.

"My God, it is you!" Charles said, as tears filled his eyes. After the call, he wrote Franz a letter. Here is a short excerpt:

"I have the distinct feeling that some power greater than that of our respective governments was looking out for most of us on Dec. 20, 1943. To say THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU on behalf of my surviving crew members and their families appears totally inadequate."

The Two Pilots Meet:

Charles and Franz first met in person in Seattle on June 21, 1990. The two former enemies hugged each other and cried. They spent the next few days touring Seattle and getting to know each other.

On September 13, 1990, they met again in Massachusetts, at a reunion of the 379th Bomb Group, where CBS News filmed a show about them. Two other surviving B-17 crew members were also there: Sam "Blackie" Blackford and Dick Pechout. Through hugs and tears, they thanked Franz for allowing them to live full lives, filled with children and grandchildren.

But Franz also felt grateful. He never received the Knight's Cross, but he felt he got something better. He wrote this note to Charles:

"In 1940, I lost my only brother as a night fighter. On the 20th of December (1943), four days before Christmas, I had the chance to save a B-17 from destruction, a plane so badly damaged it was a wonder that she was still flying. The pilot, Charlie Brown, is for me, as precious as my brother was.

"Thanks Charlie.

"Your Brother,

Franz"

Franz Stigler, (left), and Charles Brown on one of their many get-togethers 

Source, the novel: A Higher Call 

The two men traveled across America, speaking at air museums, civic clubs and military gatherings. Their message: Enemies are better off as friends.

Franz Stigler passed away in March 2008, and Charles Brown passed away a few months later, in November 2008.

You can read the detailed story of their lives and their fateful encounter in the excellent book, A Higher Call, written by Adam Makos.

Book Graphic, Amazon.com

___________________________

Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides

Mary's story, entitled: A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need. 

Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:   Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Books

Children of a Doomed Voyage: the SS City of Benares PART 5: The Bech Family

By Terrie Todd

Not all the passengers aboard the SS City of Benares were part of the CORB program. A few private fee-paying passengers booked passage on board for various reasons. Some were VIPs on government business, others were continuing their flight from Nazi-occupied Europe. A few were mothers taking their children to North America and leaving their husbands behind to continue their contributions to the war effort.

The town hall in Bognor Regis, Sussex, was still new when the Bech family left on their ill-fated trip.

Among the mothers was Marguerite Bech, along with her three children: Barbara, 14, Sonia, 11, and Derek, 9. Marguerite had vivid memories of Zeppelin raids during WWI and had become more and more terrified as air raids began in their small town of Bognor Regis. As overhead dogfights took place on the Sussex coast where they lived and bombers crashed on the beach, Marguerite made the decision to take the children to Canada, where they could spend the remainder of the war with old family connections.

Liverpool's luxurious Adelphi Hotel still operates today.

The first leg of their journey on September 11, 1940, took them to Liverpool’s premier hotel, the luxurious Adelphi, where the children were impressed with a whole suite just for them and an ensuite bathroom—something they hadn’t seen before. They gladly settled into their beds, only to be disturbed by a knock on the door. The air-raid siren had sounded, and they were to evacuate to the basement—the former Turkish baths, orhammam. So, they packed up and spent the night on wooden benches surrounded by mosaic tiles, the crashing and banging of bombs dropping around them. Near morning, they were allowed back to their room, where they tried to grab a couple of hours of sleep before having to leave for the docks. Sonia, 11, admitted to a sinking feeling as they boarded the Benares, but in the rush and excitement around her, she quickly forgot her misgivings.

Although housed at the opposite end of the steamship from the CORB children, the Bechs were equally as impressed with the posh liner and the abundance of food onboard. They quickly made friends among the other first-class private passengers, barely aware that so many children were on board.

Marguerite made sure her children took the daily lifeboat drills seriously, wore their life jackets at all times, and kept an emergency bag packed and ready to grab in the event of an emergency. Barbara Bech later wondered whether the drills left the children with a false sense of security. Sure, they knew what to do if the alarms sounded. But they never did the drills at night or during a storm, and they never lowered the boats. “Nobody would have dreamt of discussing not getting to Canada,” she said. “We were on our way and that was it.”

The SS City of Benares

When the ship was torpedoed on the night of September 17 in the middle of a storm, they felt ill-prepared indeed. They dressed and gathered at their muster station, where they awaited further instructions that did not come. Finally, a crew member burst in, shocked to find the room still full of people. “Get to your lifeboats because the ship’s going down!” he hollered. The Bech family clambered up to the lifeboat deck, but the boats had all been lowered to the water. Barbara volunteered to go down on the ropes. She’d learned to climb up and down ropes in gym class, but didn’t realize her stiff, lace-up shoes would not grip the rope. Hand over hand, she managed to lower herself to the boat below, already filled with passengers. Soon, her boat drifted away from the sinking ship without her family.

Marguerite, Sonia, and Derek ended up on a rickety raft to which they spent several hours clinging by their fingernails. At daybreak, another lifeboat picked them up. Not until they were rescued by the HMS Hurricane around six p.m. on September 18 did they learn that Barbara had survived and were reunited with her. From Scotland, the family caught a train to their home in Bognor Regis where they remained. Only Sonia eventually made it to Canada, where she taught school for three years before returning to England.

Their story can be read in more detail in Miracles on the Water: The Heroic Survivors of a World War II U-Boat Attack, by Tom Nagorski.

Even If Perish is Terrie’s novel based on the sinking of the SS City of Benares and on the heroism of escort Mary Cornish and the six boys she cared for in a lifeboat for eight days. Terrie is the award-winning author of ten historical and two split-time novels, most of which have won Word Awards through The Word Guild. Her 2023 release, April’s Promise, was a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards. She lives with her husband, Jon, on the Canadian prairies. 

 

 

“If I perish, I perish.” A sermon based on Queen Esther’s famous

words spurs music teacher Mary Cornish to action. She volunteers to escort a group of 15 girls from England to Canada as part of Britain’s World War II child evacuation program.

All is well aboard the SS City of Benares until September 17, 1940. With a storm brewing in the North Atlantic, a German U-boat releases its torpedo and breaches the ship’s hull. Do the Nazis know ninety children are on board?

In the scramble to save as many lives as possible, Mary lands in a crowded lifeboat as the only female among crew members, passengers, and six young boys. In the storm’s aftermath, two things soon become crystal clear: that Lifeboat 12 has become separated from all the others, and that Mary has been placed here for such a time as this—even if she perishes.

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