Army Navy Relief Day 1942

Newly crowned Miss New Orleans 1942, Edna Joyce, in the white bathing suit is perched with another finalist, selling tickets for Army Navy Relief Day. The total raised for Army Navy Relief Day at Pontchartrain Beach was $8796.64, reportedly the largest any amusement park in the US had raised for the fund.

During WWII, campaigns to raise relief funds for families with men in the military were common. In New Orleans, Pontchartrain Beach manager Harry J. Batt jumped in, declaring Aug 27, 1942 as Army Navy Relief Day. A full afternoon and evening of events was scheduled, and Batt pledged to donate all proceeds to the relief fund.

Ticket sale events for Army Navy Relief Day were occasions unto themselves. Thousands crowded the street while Eddie Polo, a circus strong man known for unusual feats of strength, pulled a truckload of Marines with his hair along the 800 block of Canal St., where a ticket booth was set up. The next day, at the same booth, the finalists of the Miss New Orleans pageant, held at Pontchartrain Beach that same week, appeared and gamely encouraged their many admirers to buy many tickets.

Pontchartrain Beach’s Army Navy Relief Day featured military bands, drills, exercises and a parade. Beach landing operations using Higgins boats (created and built in New Orleans) and a dive-bombing “attack” by three planes on a merchant marine training ship thrilled the large crowds. Throughout the day, people could see an array of small weapons up close. The exhibit featured a historical overview of combat development, starting with slingshot and stone axes dating as far back as 1300 AD, then on to antique guns, and ending with the modern artillery and chemical warfare equipment being used that year by deployed troops.

In between the military displays was the park’s regular twice-nightly entertainment. That week’s featured performer was James Jamison, Sensational Fire Diver. Jamison started his act with a 100-foot climb to a tiny platform while his assistant would pour gasoline over the water in a 6-foot deep, 15-foot wide tank. Once the gas was lit and the tank was burning, the fire diver would plunge backwards into the tank. That thrilling act was followed up by the comedic Taylor Trout and Company and the Juggling Jesters. Preceding their final show of the evening was a special performance by Russ Papalia’s orchestra, accompanied by Miss New Orleans and Miss Junior New Orleans 1942, who showed off their dancing skills.