‘A Guy Named Gribble’
(Editor’s note: The follow
ing article entitled “A Guy
Named Gribble” appeared in a
recent issue of The Nebraska
Farmer magazine. It was writ
ten by Carroll W. (Cal) Stew
art, editor of The Frontier. It
is reproduced here because Mr.
Gribble is a former Holt coun
tyan.)
Harry LeRoy Gribble “of Ne
braska," with his five feet 11
inches, 180 pounds, and twink
ling blue-green eyes, is'back
again after four years abroad.
When asked by his friends
where he has been, he shrugs
his shoulders and accounts for
his absence simply enough:
“War work.”
Civilian Gribble, who had
gone to Britain in early 1942
as a representative of an Amer
ican aircraft manufacturer, was
making his initial visit to Lon
don in May, 1943.' The city
was grim with its “blitz” dam
age, its blackout, and its fog.
Furthermore, the war seemed
perfectly capable of going on
forever.
In his hand were the neces
sary papers for a passport back
to the United States, but in his
mind grew an idea that per
haps, as a veteran of World War
I, he might be of some use
around the old town, and it
was plain to see that London
would become increasingly im
portant to the Americans in a
fight against the Axis that had
barely begun.
Harry Gribble, a man who
had been born in Dakota coun
ty, reared in Holt county, and
in the prewar days peddled
hundreds of automobiles from
Omaha and Lincoln to Timbuc
too, walked into the American
Red Cross headquarters in
Grosvenor Square and edged
up to a desk where a disting
uished-looking gentleman was
buried in paper work. The man
raised his grey-tufted eye
brows, gave the intruder a
quick once-over, and asked
hopefully, “Are you an Ameri
can?”
“What do you think?” replied
Gribble.
“You’re hired!” snapped the
voice.
Thus, Harry Gribble was ap
pointed to the ARC’s welfare
The Columbia, formerly the
swank Connaught club for bus
, incssmcn, staged dances regu
larly. The American soldiers
p British girls there in super
vised recreation. Occasionally
a GI would marry the girl.
Mr. Gribble managed the
American Red Cross Columbia
club in London where several
thousand GI guests were enter
tained daily. Costume balls
(such as the one pictured above)
helped relieve the grimness of
war.
staff and he was "commission
ed” to help make “a home away
from home” for the thousands
of American troops that were
massing for the big push. The
step ultimately led to the di
rectorship of the largest troop
hostel in the world—the ARC’S
Columbia Club near the Marble
Arch in London.
The Columbia had been the
Connaught Club, a smart men’s
retreat in the Mayfair district.
It was the second of its kind to
be taken over by the American
Red Cross and transformed in
to a giant dormitory to house
and feed American troops on
pass or furlough in London.
During its peak period, be
fore D-Day in 1944, the Colum
bia’s 2,635 bunks and beds
(with fresh linen, a treat in it
self) were filled nightly. Be
sides the main building, the sol
dier-guests overflowed into 34
neighboring buildings in the
Marble Arch vicinty. Gribble
supervised 780 British civilian
employees of which 30 percent
were unpaid volunteer work
ers, and some of whom were
titled women representing fash
ionable London society.
Fifteen thousand snacks and
meals were served daily in the
large dining room where se
date business and professional
men wined and dined not many
months before. Procurement
of food was a big and thorny
problem, because the ARC had :
to comply with the strict Brit
ish rationing system. Jam and
peanut butter, for example,
were purchased by the ton
(when stocks were available)
and stored in the larder. The
diet was long on vegetables
and short on meat and dairy
products. The Army insisted
that the ARC charge the GIs
for both food and lodging, but
Harry L. Gnbble (above) . . .
reared in Holt county . . .
turned in a unique war job.
the fee was nominal. You could
live “first-class” with the ARC
for the equivalent of $1.50 per
day, but to have patronized the
London hotels (a feat which
bordered on the impossible)
would cost at least $10 per day.
Harry’s responsibilities var
ied. One morning he helped
with the reception of the King
and Queen, who had dropped
in for a chat with the Yanks.
Before day’s end he had per
sonally engaged two chimney
sweeps, with their traditional
stove-pipe hats and formal
coats. Both items were special
on that day’s agenda.
English girls, 350 of them,
were designated as hostesses
for dances that were conduct
ed four nights per week in the
ballroom. These were compa
rable with the USO-sponsored
dances in the United States.
Two tours of London originat
ed daily at the Columbia’s front
door. One of the best guides
was Grant Forbes, the circula
tion manager of The Daily Tel
egraph, who volunteered his
services. Forbes was also one
of Harry’s closest friends. Af
ter each tour Forbes would
write a personal letter to the
parents of the GIs whom he
had escorted from Buckingham
Palace to the Tower of Lon
don.
So ambitious was the Colum
bia’s entertainment depart
ment, headed by a specially
tained staff of American young
women, that a sign-painting
staff did nothing but prepare
attractive displays.
The Air Force used the Col
umbia club for receiving air
men who were being returned
to duty after having been
forced down over Europe and
successful in reaching England
via the underground system. A
captain at headquarters, issu
ing such terse statements as,
“We have 17 coming in today,”
! or “There’ll be 32 arriving to
| morrow.”
“Never did meet that captain
personally,” Gribble recounts,
“though the Lord only knows
how. many returnees ha sent us
to take care of.”
When Harry Gribble helped
| onen the Columbia, he was the
first to sign in the State Book,
in which GIs scrawled their
names, home addresses, and the
dates on which they had visited
the club. This information was
recorded according to states.
By consulting the book, a sol
dier could quickly discover if
any friends from the home
town had been around, and, if
so, when. The Nebraska sec
tion of the Columbia’s book col
lected upwards of 500 names,
and many of these visitors con
tacted Gribble because he was
“of Nebraska.” Comparing
rotes with him the Nebraska
GIs invariably discovered that
there were persons, at least
places, in the state that they
knew in common.
With several thousand sol
dier-guests in the club daily,
situations frequently arose
when soldiers needed financial
help badly, and extenuating
circumstances sometimes made
it impossible for the GIs to ob
tain cash through normal ARC
facilities. “Uncle Harry” often
loaned money from his own
pocket, though this practice
was expressly forbidden by
ARC. “Never lost a sixpence,”
he says, “in helping the kids
out. They were fine bunch.”
The Columbia went into a
slump during V-bomb season,
but when the launching sites on
the opposite side of the' English
Channel were finally “neutral
ized,” as Harry terms it, bor
rowing from the British mili
tary vernacular, the club filled
right up again.
Nine of the Columbia’s 35
buildings were damaged by V
bombs. Harry’s closest call
came one night while he was in
his private room in the club.
A V-2 rocket screamed down
and exploded 200 yards away,
scoring a direct hit on a pub
(public house, or tavern) ad
joining the big Selfridge de
partment store. Hails of shrap
nel and debris filled the air,
and chunks of window glass
plunked into Harry’s lap, but
he was uninjured
In the eyes of the military,
Gribble held the “assimilated”
rank of an Army officer, but
with the GIs it was simply
“Harry” or “Uncle Harry” and
seldom “Mr. Gribble,” which
the protocol called for.
This Nebraskan’s experiences j
with the American Red Cross I
reveal artially the magnitude
of a single phase of the ARC’S
wartime operations in only one
of many foreign countries. Cit
izen Gribble could talk volubly
of„his unique experiences as a
key man in the recreational
program for GIs in Euorpe. But
Gribble is now confronted with
"reconversion” problems of his
own, having recently entered
the trailer-manufacturing busi
ness at Fremont. During the
recent American Red Cross
drive, Gribble was induced to
appear on a radio program and
be interviewed by Omaha’s '
Mayor Charles Leehman. Said
Gribble, in one of his rare cat
egorical statements: “Without
the American Red Cross, the
plight of the American soldier
on pass or furlough in the Eu
ropean theater would, have
been deplorable. I believe that
most GIs will agree.”
Proceedings of the Holt
County Supervisors —
(Continued from an earlier issue.) j
A. B. Hubbard 150.00 j
A. B. Hubbard .. _ 9.77
Dorothy Kratochvil 133.33
Ira H. Moss _ 183.41
Nora A. Mullen _ 133.33
Elja McCullough 8.20 i
Elja McCullough 40.00 |
Louis W. Reimer 5.30
Luella D. Rohe 38.13 !
Leonard A. Thomazin _ 23.20
Mary Wettlaufef 116.66
12:00 Noon. On motion the
Board adjourned until 1:00 P.M.
O’Neill, Neb., November 26,
1946.
Holt County Board of Super
visors met as per adjournment.
All members present.
Meeting called to order by the
Chairman.
Fritz Rokahr, Chairman, and
Peter Thomassen, Co-ordinator, j
of the North Central Nebraska
Rural Power Association appear
ed before the Board asking that
Holt County establish the corn
ers of the different sections, in
the parts of the County where
they are going to put in a Rural
Power Line, at County expense.
2:00 P.M. This being the time
set for the Hearing on the Road
Petition of Ralph Ernst and oth
ers. the Board discussed this pe
tition. As no one appeared in re
gard to it, and there being no
protests or remonstrances against
the petition, it was moved bv
; Clark, seconded by Stein that
I this road be designated a Coun
ty Road. Carried.
Motion by Wulf, seconded bv
Hubbard that the following
Claims be allowred and warrents
ordered drawn on the Bridge
Fund in payment of same:
Armeo Drainage & Metal
Products $109.89
Island Supply Company 266.65
Oscar Keithlev 60.60
Jerry O’Connell 53.40
Standard Oil Co. 63.72
C. Thornton 10.00
Wheeler Lumber Bridge &
Supply Co._ 498.18
Jos. Schollmever .__ 5.00
Harold Blain _ 4.50
Alfred Kazda ... 123.20
Ed J. Matousek _ 10.00
Thos. Slattery _ 10.73
J. C. Stein _25.00
Roy Thurlow _’_■ 74.40
W. E. Wulf 15.00
Motion by Collins, seconded by
Wulf that the following Claims
be allowed and warrants ordered
drawn on the Road Fund in pay
ment of same:
Ed Alder _$ 17.00
Elmer Allyn_12.00
Archer Petroleum Co. _ 38.85
Ralph Bauman _156.00
Leon Beckwith _ 25.00
E. W. Brady . 5.25
LaVern Gadwallader_7.50
Arlin Caster 12.00
Central Supply Co. _ 53.06
Cal Allyn _ 12.00
James Allyn 12.00
George Barta _ 6.00
James Beck .. . 9.30
Boise Service Station _ 33.65
Lloyd Burgess .... _ 27.00
Emil Carlson . 24.70
Maurice Cavanaugh _ 183.00
Andy Clark _ 20.00
L. R. Cobb 16.00
Continental Oil Co. 144.00
Continental Oil Co. . 13.09
D. A. Lubricant Co. _ 37.62
Henry Dicrks _ 30.90
Ed Eneler ___ 12.00
F. H. Fundus _ „ 8.00
Wm. H. Fundus_ 28.00
B. G. Hanna _ 28.60
H. W. Hubbard_129.59
Inland Construction Co. 41.65
Island Supply Co. _ 78.08
Island Supply Co. _ 35.38
Interstate Oil Co. _ 67.20
Jarvis Oil Co. . 9.83
Leon L. Kaiser _ 49.89
Keating Imlement Co. _ 29.10
C. W. Kirkland 12.00
Bill Krysl _ 39.00
Lamason’s Garage _ 9.50
Marcellus Implement Co. _. 71.90
Wm. Meusch 86.00
A. L. Mitchell .. 38.00
H. A. Mitchell _ 18.00
Robert Mlinar _ 11.70
Moore-Noble Lbr. &
Coal Co. . 4.30
Lyle McKim 156.00
Wm. Krotter Co. _ 50.79
Frank Noffke, Jr. _ 9.50
Orville Orr _ 51.00
R. M. Pease__ 83.75
George Post _ 32.75
Walter Puckett _ 135.00
Andrew Ramold _ 11.00
Shellhamer Service_32.50
John G. Slaymaker _ 8.45
Fred Stracke _ 31.00
Thos. Thompson _ 62.50
A. W. Tibbetts_23.85
Clede Trobough _ 38.35
C. E. Wintermote _______ 46.95
W. E. Wulf . 35.00
Continental Oil Co._34.65
Moore-Noble Lbr. &
Coal Co. _ 9 46
O’Neill Auto Supply _ 5.75
J. C. Stein_25.00
Elmer Krueger _ 10.00
Missouri Valley Miach.
Co.-21.07
Guy Cole _ 7.00
Continental Oil Co. -_ 74.59
D. E. Crandall _ 104.65
D. A. Lubricant Co._17.25
John C. Emerson __23.00
Fred Fundus _ 17.75
John Fundus _ 30.00
Harvey’s Body Shop_6.00
Highway Eqpt. & Supply
Co.-2.04
Edw. Humpal _172.50
Island Supply Co. 11.38
Island Supply Co. 131.00
Interstate Oil Co. _ 9.25
Jarvis Oil Co._20.70
K. H. Jeffers 52.00
Keating Implement Co. 2.05
C. W. Kirkland _ 94.25
James Kirkland _ 70.85
Donald Krysl _ _ 17.50 |
V. J. Krysl _39.00
Francis Luben _ 3.00
Ed J. Matousek 35.00 |
W. J. Meusch _ 60.10
Berlin Mitchell _ 3.30
Joe Mlinar, Jr. _ 35.43
Moore-Noble Lbr. &
Coal Co. _ 11.00
Chet McClenahan_97.50
George McNair _ _ 35.77
Claud Neal _ 90.00
Dan O’Connell_39.00
Page Oil Co. _ 52.00 1
Walter Pease_39.00
Dale Potts _ 149.50 !
Lewis Radcliff _ 11.06
Fred Richardson _ 6.00 j
Thos. Slattery _ 4J4
Standard Oil Co..46.03
Bill Tenborg _ 64.00'
Lloyd Thurlow _ 5.501
Leo S. Tom jack _ 138.05
Frank Walters _ 12.50
I. O. Wood _ 3.30
Geo. E. Collins 9K I
Island Supply Co._124.80
Moore-Noble Lbr. &
Coal Co. _ 7.72
Jos. Schollmeyer _ 30.00
United Wholesalers _ 102.00
Joe Schollmeyer, Jr. _ 75.00
Harvey Wahl _120.25
Motion made by Wulf, second
ed by Collins that the following
Claim be allowed and a warrant
ordered drawn on the Road
Bridge Fund in payment of same:
Keating Implement Co. $ 24.75
Motion by Clarke seconded by
Stein that following Claims be
allowed and warrants ordered
drawn on the Drag Fund in pay
ment of same:
Wm. A. Anderson _$ 16.80
Art Doolittle _ 14.00
Clarence N. Schrad 32.00 I
R. D. Stevens_128.40
Wm. A. Anderson _ 43.40
Wm. Schmohr 92.20
Bert Shoemaker 39.00
John Warner 11.00
Mrs. Boucher and Mr. Bartle
son appeared before the Board
claiming that damage had been
done to their property because of
the construction of the new road
in Dustin Precinct and by a dam
made by the Big Sandy when the
road was constructed.
The Chairman of the Board re
quested the Road and Bridge
Committees to investigate this
road, Wednesday, November 27,
1946. I
5:00 P.M. On motion the Board
adjourned until November 29, ,
1946, at 10:00 A. M.
ED J. MATOUSEK,
Chairman, t
RUTH HOFFMAN,
County Clerk.
Silver Star 4-H Club
in Christmas Parly —
CHAMBERS — The Silver Star I
4-H club enjoyed a Christmas
party at the home of one of the !
members, Marilyn Walter, on
Saturday afternoon.
Games were played and gifts
were exchanged.
The leader, Mrs. Lloyd Gleed,
presented the smaller girls with
bracelets and the older ones with
pencils. Refreshments of hot
rolls, chocolate, jello in the shape
of Christmas trees, and walnut
cake were served.
Have you read THE FRON
TIER classified ads? tf
- - --—— a
' We sold YES!
when everybody
else said NOI
During the depression end
drouth, everybody else told
farmers and ranchers “No, we
aren’t making loans.” But the
Land Bank Cooperative Credit
System said "YES I WE ARE
READY TO SERVE YOU IN
BAD TIMES AS WELL AS
IN GOOD TIMES."
When vou need a farm or
ranch oan. get it from the
organization that has PROVED
its ability to “stand by” you
ALL THE TIME.
Get your
LAND BANK LOAN
from your
ELKHORN VALLEY
National Farm
Loan Assoiation
LYLE P. DIERK8
Secretary-Treasurer
O’Neill
W0HEERSA30 TEARS
AND STILL LEADING THE WAY
( WITH AMERICA S BEST
FARM AND RANCH LOAN I
225 Head of High-Grade
Hereford Breeding Cows
SELL AT AUCTION
Atkinson, Nebr.
Tuesday, January 7th
ALL NATIVE SANDHILLS COWS OF EXCELLENT
QUALITY. A COMPLETE DISPERSAL, ALL ONE BRAND.
AGES GOOD. EVERY COW HAD A CALF LAST YEAR
AND ALL ARE BRED TO REGISTERED BULLS. WILL
ALSO SELL 1000 HEAD OF OTHER CATTTE AT THIS
SALE. IF YOU ARE WANTING BREEDING COWS.
YOU WILL LIKE THESE.
ATKINSON LIVESTOCK MARKET
ERNIE WELLER, Manager
Phone 89, Atkinson.
Outlaw Stores
ASIMUS BROS.
O’NEILL
Money-Raising Sale!
BARGAINS OF ALL KINDS ! •
We are invoicing and find that we are long on
goods and short on money (as usual). So we
are selling a lot of goods way below cost!
Come and get your share of bargains.
Canned Goods
B-A-R-GA-I-N-S
PINEAPPLE 1 QQ
SWEET, Gal. Cans _ 1*07
Red CHERRIES 1 CQ
APRICOTS 7Qr
Gal. Cans __ f 7l*
2 Vi SIZE —
PEACHES 9Qr
Qt. Cans ... fc7s*
MUSTARD —
SARDINES 1Qr
Large Oral Cans . I 71*
ORANGE & GRAPEFRUIT- -
JUICE 9Qr
Vi - Gal. Cans_ fc7C
MACKEREL 1Qr
Large. Tall Cans 1__ I7v
LARGE FANCY —
DRY PRUNES QCr
2 Lbs. for __ Ovv
FANCY —
COFFEES
1-Lb. Cans_07C
— Maxwell House
— Atwood
— Del Monte
— Milady
— Nash
SWEET —
APRICOTS 9nr
2Vi Size, Qt. Cans _ »7t
PORK & BEANS
2 No. 2 Cans ..
GOOD —
ORANGES 0C
Dozen .. * **
FANCY —
DILL PICKLES OQr
Qt. Glass Jars _
2.000 POUNDS OF —
FANCY CANDIES
AND
FANCY COOKIES
* Chocolates * * Caramels
* Creams * Etc.
PER LB.
Up from.
CAMPBELL'S —
Tomato SOUP 1(L
Large Cans .. lift*
CHINESE FOODS
of All Kinds !
* Chop Suey
* Bean Sprouts
* Chow Mein
* Noodles
Make your own Chink dish
es of food.
FROZEN —
Sweetened FRUIT
— OF ALL KINDS I
I
-—————— —♦I
Dry Goods Specials
Men's and Boy's Good —
Work & Leather Coats
— At Less Than Cost !
Men's Fancy —
MACKINAWS 7 7c
Each .... ._ I i/v
Boys' Sheeplined Leather —
JACKETS
Each_
Heavy Turkish —
TOWELS 7Qr
Large Size _ f
Nice Huck —
TOWELS OF
Each _ Z3C
Mens' Fancy Leather —
COATS 19.50
Each _ IL
Mens' Heavy Work _
JACKETS O nr
All-Wool, Each . ¥</v
Mens' Leather-Faced —
coats g gr
Each__ 0.73
(Extra Heavy Wool)
Mens' Rubberized Husking ..
“LVEi_39c
Regular 69c Seller
One of the Best Minerals Sold_
K. D. BLOCK MINERALS
50-Pound Block ___
AT ASIMtTS BROS.’ OUTLAW . . .
Farm Implement Store
12 — Brand new 1-Row GENERAL IMPLEMENT Kuhlman
Corrtpickers. Low prices.
JEEPS! — Order your jeep now! The lowest-priced trans
portation you can buy! We are getting two-a-week,
so gel your order in now while the price is low.
* Grain Blower Elevators • Car and Truck Tires
* Feed Grinders We have them in all
Corn Shellers sizes. See us!
1 — 1940 Buick coupe, new engine, 5,000 miles back. Guar
anteed to be OK in every way.
* Brand new FRAZER car. Continental engine. Over
drive. The most perfect car you have ever driven.
The car of the hour.
CARLOAD of Massey-Harris combines on the road from
Canada.
