My apologies again for this detour, but speaking of Belgium ...
If any of you happen to travel by train through the Statte railroad station in Huy, Belgium, please give a thought to the WWII Allied soldiers once based there.
My late Uncle Joseph Contento was one of them, although I didn't know this until well after he passed away in 1990. I inherited a few photos he brought back after the war. The town name is written on some of them, and some are dated, but little or no other info. I was able to figure out exactly where they were taken.
The solo portrait of Joe is dated "June 20, 1945". Note the sign with the letters "ST" visible on the building on the RIGHT. Since the building looks like train station to me, I searched for quite a while for a matching image online, and eventually found it. In fact, both the station and building in the background on the LEFT are still there (see below). The red dot indicates where Joe was standing, and the close-up detail makes the match clearer.
Apparently at some point after 1945 three small arched windows were added in the brick wall behind where Joe stood. A relatively easy modification: You just hammer out the bricks, put a stone sill across the bottom of the opening, and put in a window. Other than those 3 new windows, the station & its surroundings are an exact match. The station’s address is: Rue Oscar Lelarge 13, 4500 Huy, Belgium.
Joe being in this location makes sense because, according to his U.S. Army Honorable Discharge & Separation document, his WWII duties in the "6th Traffic Regulations Group” were: “… TRAFFIC MAN, RAILWAY: Worked on a military and civilian railroads supervising the switching, sidetracking and distribution of cars and trains. Prepared and maintained all records pertaining to cars and trains on movement, capacity of various yards. Along route etc. Also issued warrants to all military personnel using railroad. Supervised and was responsible for the work of 6 civilians in railway traffic work. Served in European Theater Operations for 24 months. …”
I also have a group photo which includes Joe seated at the lower left. The building behind them no longer exists, but I found it in multiple old postcards online. It was located next to the Statte-Huy train station. My understanding is "RTO" stands for Radio Telephone Operations/Operator. This was probably their military/railroad communications office.
The photos above were obviously taken after WWII ended, possibly weeks or months later. However, the "simple" photo below is very special. In it, Joe is seen leaning against a tree angled out over the nearby Meuse River. This photo is dated "VE day - May 9, 1945". The day WWII ended in Europe. He appears outwardly calm, but it's hard to imagine what he's thinking ... what he and millions of others had experienced up to that point! As John Lennon said, "War is over, if you want it."
It's good to remember the power of "simple" photos.
Once again I return you our regularly-scheduled L-mount forum. Cheers.
