Post by connie on Dec 4, 2020 12:05:25 GMT -5
Frampton Duward Belmont Jr. Cpl 422 CN, POW 9B, 9A WIA
Framton's father put together the Agony Grapevine to collect information in missing soldiers during the war:
See Saturday Evening Post article (paragraphs 8-10): 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4773/thread
"Guarded reports that a new American division had been surrounded and faced annihilation began to trickle back to the States in the early dark hours of the Bulge. Security did not permit correspondents to identify the division, but families at home knew the men of the 106th had arrived recently in Europe guessed theirs was the outfit in jeopardy. Lacking definite information, from the War Department, the folks at home organized one of the most remarkable civilian volunteer agencies to appear during the war, the agony grapevine. Conceived by Duward B. Frampton, a Pittsburgh lumberman, whose son was a corporal with the 422nd, the Agony Grapevine painstakingly set out to determine the fate of each unreported man in the division. In January 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stinson announced that 416 men of the 106th had been killed in the Bulge, 1,246 were wounded and 7,001 missing in action. Frampton and his helpers never abandoned hope that the missing men had been captured.
Frampton and volunteers, who owned short-wave radios, began tireless vigils at their sets, listening to German propaganda broadcasts that each night released the names of American Soldiers captured. A letter from California to New York, telling of Frampton’s work, gave the Associated Press a lead to the story, which was circulated nationally. Letters, photographs, telegrams and offers of assistance deluged the Framptons. In Cleveland, Dr. and Mrs. C. R. Woods heard in roundabout fashion that an officer with division had written his wife in Chicago saying he was pretty sure most of the 106th boys were prisoners. On the basis of such flimsy encouragement, another branch of the grapevine was nourished.
Every family Frampton could locate was asked to communicate with him as soon as it heard whether sons and husbands were POW’s. Names trickled in from all parts of the country. It was tedious work, but ceaseless sessions at the radio began to produce results. One night, alone, Frampton picked up the names of 125 PW’s from the 106th. He distributed regularly circular letters to all families listing the names, serial numbers, home addresses and next of kin of all newly reported prisoners, urging those who did not find the names they sought to continue praying. Eventually, the majority of the missing men turned up alive and well. Six months after V-E Day the 106th’s M.I.A. list had been reduced from 7,001 to 1,023. In many instances the Agony Grapevine transmitted the good news to families long before the War Department came through with an official confirmation."
Cub Magazine notes on Agony Grapevine: www.106thinfdivassn.org/agony.html
ARTICLE & PHOTOS: of Frampton Jr. presenting his parents with the Golden Lion Award for this service: www.omsa.org/files/jomsa_arch/Splits/2006/546162_JOMSA_Vol57_6_28.pdf
note from Frampton Jr. in Cub Volume 3 #1 August 1945 p. 6:
DUWARD B. FRAMPTON, Jr.
Duward B. Frampton was born in Pittsburgh in 1923. He attended Culver Military Academy where he completed 4 years Senior Infantry R.O.T.C. When in his first year of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University, war broke out and in 1942 he enlisted in the Infantry. He was on inactive status assigned to Culver for 9 months. He was assigned to the 106th at Atterbury. June 1944. He was Chief of Section of the Cannon Co. with the grade of Cpl, of the 422, taken prisoner and liberated 4 months after being captured in the Bulge. After his return to the States he was sent to West Point as an Infantry instructor and stayed there until discharged in December 1945. He is at present taking the Engineering course at Carnegie Tech at Pittsburgh which he hopes to complete in another year and a half. For the opening issue of "The CUB" he sends the following message: IN THE WAY OF GREETINGS Now, after a slight pause for deactivation and a change of clothing style, the outfit is coming back together again and The CUB has signed up for another hitch. I want to say hello! to all 106'ers and to the 422 in particular. We have two jobs to do--mutual aid and just plain enjoying old friendships. In both respects I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing from a lot of the old gang. Good luck to a good new Organization.
D. B. Frampton, Jr.
Framton's father put together the Agony Grapevine to collect information in missing soldiers during the war:
See Saturday Evening Post article (paragraphs 8-10): 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4773/thread
"Guarded reports that a new American division had been surrounded and faced annihilation began to trickle back to the States in the early dark hours of the Bulge. Security did not permit correspondents to identify the division, but families at home knew the men of the 106th had arrived recently in Europe guessed theirs was the outfit in jeopardy. Lacking definite information, from the War Department, the folks at home organized one of the most remarkable civilian volunteer agencies to appear during the war, the agony grapevine. Conceived by Duward B. Frampton, a Pittsburgh lumberman, whose son was a corporal with the 422nd, the Agony Grapevine painstakingly set out to determine the fate of each unreported man in the division. In January 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stinson announced that 416 men of the 106th had been killed in the Bulge, 1,246 were wounded and 7,001 missing in action. Frampton and his helpers never abandoned hope that the missing men had been captured.
Frampton and volunteers, who owned short-wave radios, began tireless vigils at their sets, listening to German propaganda broadcasts that each night released the names of American Soldiers captured. A letter from California to New York, telling of Frampton’s work, gave the Associated Press a lead to the story, which was circulated nationally. Letters, photographs, telegrams and offers of assistance deluged the Framptons. In Cleveland, Dr. and Mrs. C. R. Woods heard in roundabout fashion that an officer with division had written his wife in Chicago saying he was pretty sure most of the 106th boys were prisoners. On the basis of such flimsy encouragement, another branch of the grapevine was nourished.
Every family Frampton could locate was asked to communicate with him as soon as it heard whether sons and husbands were POW’s. Names trickled in from all parts of the country. It was tedious work, but ceaseless sessions at the radio began to produce results. One night, alone, Frampton picked up the names of 125 PW’s from the 106th. He distributed regularly circular letters to all families listing the names, serial numbers, home addresses and next of kin of all newly reported prisoners, urging those who did not find the names they sought to continue praying. Eventually, the majority of the missing men turned up alive and well. Six months after V-E Day the 106th’s M.I.A. list had been reduced from 7,001 to 1,023. In many instances the Agony Grapevine transmitted the good news to families long before the War Department came through with an official confirmation."
Cub Magazine notes on Agony Grapevine: www.106thinfdivassn.org/agony.html
ARTICLE & PHOTOS: of Frampton Jr. presenting his parents with the Golden Lion Award for this service: www.omsa.org/files/jomsa_arch/Splits/2006/546162_JOMSA_Vol57_6_28.pdf
note from Frampton Jr. in Cub Volume 3 #1 August 1945 p. 6:
DUWARD B. FRAMPTON, Jr.
Duward B. Frampton was born in Pittsburgh in 1923. He attended Culver Military Academy where he completed 4 years Senior Infantry R.O.T.C. When in his first year of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University, war broke out and in 1942 he enlisted in the Infantry. He was on inactive status assigned to Culver for 9 months. He was assigned to the 106th at Atterbury. June 1944. He was Chief of Section of the Cannon Co. with the grade of Cpl, of the 422, taken prisoner and liberated 4 months after being captured in the Bulge. After his return to the States he was sent to West Point as an Infantry instructor and stayed there until discharged in December 1945. He is at present taking the Engineering course at Carnegie Tech at Pittsburgh which he hopes to complete in another year and a half. For the opening issue of "The CUB" he sends the following message: IN THE WAY OF GREETINGS Now, after a slight pause for deactivation and a change of clothing style, the outfit is coming back together again and The CUB has signed up for another hitch. I want to say hello! to all 106'ers and to the 422 in particular. We have two jobs to do--mutual aid and just plain enjoying old friendships. In both respects I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing from a lot of the old gang. Good luck to a good new Organization.
D. B. Frampton, Jr.