The following information and pictures were supplied by the family of LeRoy H. Gehrke. Leroy served as a co-pilot within the 424th Squadron of the 307th Bomb Group. The wood phonograph top in the pictures below were signed by members of the 307th Bomb Group while they were in Guadalcanal in 1943. At the end of the war LeRoy brought it home with him. A note on the back of the top states, "Signed by crew before they left for home. None wanted it. Dad took it." Over 30 names are carved deep into the wood of the lid. The family is going to do a rubbing of the names so we can list al the names on this page.
Names Carved into the Phonograph Top Lid
Although many of the names carved into the wood are hard to read, here's a list of the names that can determined:
- E.P. RATTI
- D.E. Ta
- L.H. Gehrke
- CGRABIEC
- JDJELLEY
- H.F.Scott
- J.H.Goodin
- L.M.OWENS
- DA Marshall
- R.R. Loper
- J.R. Sawyer
- REBeasley
- G.W. Swift
- A-AHMADJIAN
- PEBurTchaell
- C.B. Alwood
- Max Miller
- G.E. Benedict
- Noel Benson