"V" For Victory

Years ago, a classmate Charlotte McClain Russell, shared with me an account about a magazine contest her mother Lydia had entered and a picture of the natural tree growth on their property depicting the “V” for Victory during WWII. We had no idea what magazine, at that time. Over the years I have read a couple of social media posts that had vague recall of the event and then found a picture in the Fan Harrington collection of “kids playing in the Trout Creek school yard 1915 shown in the background is the timber patch west of the Greenheck ranch showing the “V” for Victory sign, emblem used for victory in World War II.”

                                                  Photo taken by Lydia McClain in 1941

                               Photo from Fan Harrrington Collection at Trout Creek School in 1915

 At that time I tried Googling information and came up with nothing. Recently cleaning out my files I came across the two pictures again and began further research. The following is what I have discovered:  The following is what I have discovered: 

Victor de Laveleye was a radio host on the British broadcasting Corporation which produced the Voice of Radio Belgium. In January 1941 he came up with the idea that V was the perfect symbol. V was victory in the French word victoire and Flemish Vryheid meaning freedom. On January 12, 1941, he announce to Radio Free Europe to chalk the letter V on buildings, in the streets and to paint it where ever they could as a symbol of defiance, of freedom, and of final victory. The idea took off like wildfire. Winston Churchill, in July endorsed the V symbol and the campaign was broadcast in sixty languages with each broadcast beginning with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The reason this symphony was used was because the fourth note came out as "dot dot dot dash" which is the letter V in the Morris Code and the other name for the tune is "Symphony of Fate".

Churchill began flashing the V sign with his hands and the crowds went wild. During his visit to the United States in December, 1941 following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America’s entrance into the War, Churchill addressed the United States Senate and as he left the podium he held up his left hand and made the V sign. By that time America was aware of the V symbol and soon the ‘Victory’ sign became an amazing piece of propaganda for the whole world. The symbol was used in the industries manufacturing military equipment; recruiting posters for the military; labor posters, and War bonds. The Victory Gardens soon came into being. where most households grew their own produce to supplement the severe rationing, so our troops could have food.

Recognizing this massive trend, Life Magazine, the premier photographic magazine at that time, held a reader submission contest. The “Pictures to the Editors” section in the November 24, 1941 Life issue gave the directions to submit photographs and how the V for Victory symbol was used for advertisements in the 1941 Life magazine. They also gave examples of the type of natural occurring V shapes that could be submitted by readers. Life readers went to creative lengths to capture the letter V in their everyday life. These submissions included pictures of mother hens sitting in perfect V formation, patterns of clouds in the sky, office equipment arranged creatively, custom mowed lawns and crops shaded into the V emblem. The photographs were posted in the Life magazine over the next few months and the winners of the various categories were rewarded with a $10 check. This is where the natural occurring V in timber growth on the Antelope range gained notoriety! I can only imagine how much that $10 meant during this period of rationing and tight budgeting by the women running a household, often absent of the primary wage earner due to the mandatory draft. 

I will continue to search for any local newspaper articles identifying winners and am waiting for archived pages of published photographs of winners in the Life magazines.

Shooting Leaves a Widow and Five Children

One of the first articles I found when I began researching The Philipsburg Mail articles at the Montana Historical Archives microfilm in Helena about 1999 was the headline “Joe Gird’s Murder- Two bullets do their deadly destruction. J. Brown fires both shots.” The shooting took place at Flint Station (an early railroad spur located just south of Stone Spur) in the saloon of Brown and Clay in May of 1893… The remains of the unfortunate man were brought to Philipsburg Monday afternoon and buried beside his mother and child in the Philipsburg cemetery. He was survived by his wife Mary (Byrne) and five children (Mary age eleven, Helen age ten, Agnes age nine, Joe age seven and Emmett age 2) to mourn the loss of a loving husband and parent, and the entire community sympathizes with them in their terrible bereavement. Joseph A. Gird was 38 years old and had lived in Montana most of his life. He was numbered among the earliest settlers on Willow creek, was industrious and provided well for his family. He was well known throughout the county and was highly thought of by all his acquaintances who regret the circumstance of his sad demise.” 

The following week, The Call had a paragraph stating that the killing of Joe Gird by J.W. Brown at Charleston during the past week had been the principal topic of conversation during the past week. I have never heard the Stone or Flint Station area called Charleston at any other time so wonder if maybe Charleston was the name of the saloon where the murder occurred. On April 21, 1905, The Philipsburg Mail had an article which stated Tom Higgins and J.F. Gerbil were getting ready to open the old Silver King mine on Gird creek. I assume that sometime after the murder the creek near the original Stone Station was named for the murdered man. At this time the signage for Gird creek is prominently displayed along Highway One a couple of miles above the Boulder Creek bridge. A map (in my possession) of Montana dated 1895 has the sites of Stone Spur, Flint Spur, Toohy Spur and Nabbs Spur identified between New Chicago and Philipsburg next to the Northern Pacific Railroad extension that had been built from Philipsburg to Drummond. 

The life of Mary had to become very difficult after Joe’s death, although her parents had a farm nearby I cannot imagine that Don and Ellen Byrne were in any position to support five grandchildren, plus their own. On November 2, 1895 The Citizen’s Call stated “ Mrs. Mary Gird has leased the Sharp boarding house and will open up a first class restaurant. Mrs. Gird was born and raised in Granite county and we bespeak her success.” Then on January 22, 1898 the Philipsburg Mail stated “Mrs. Mary Gird has concluded to remove to her ranch in the valley with her family and will consequently give up the restaurant business. We are informed that Mrs. James Vallely has taken charge of the stand and will conduct the business.” Next the Mail carried an article on September 23, 1898 from Mrs. Mary Gird that stated she would rent her ranch for two to four years. It was identified as 320 acres on Willow Creek with 180 acres fenced. At that time Mary’s address was Stone Station, Montana. The January 10, 1900 Philipsburg Mail carried the announcement: “Notice of private sale of Gird property on February 5, 1900.” 

By the 1900 Federal Census Mary was operating a Boarding House in Granite and had Agnes (16), young Joseph (13), and Emmett (9) living with her. Helen (17) was living with Owen and Helena McBride, an Aunt and Uncle in South Philipsburg and Mary (18) was living at Stone Station with her grandmother Ellen Byrne, aunt Anna McHugh and Uncle Patrick Byrne. I have failed to find a record of Mary’s death.