Football Team 1927. Some idea?

[Matteo La Boccia]

Some idea about this? Thanks.

 

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[duggap]

I tried to read the writing but can't quite make it out. Can you tell us what it says, particularly on the second picture.

 

[Subterranean]

Hello Mateo,

Here's my theory. You have what is left of a pocket flask to hold liquor. It was specially engraved to remember the victorious five year winning streak for an American college football team, 1923-1927. The reverse reads like this to me (unknown word) (unknown word) (unknown word) The Football Team of 1927 Conference Champions. Maybe this flask accompanied an American soldier or airman during WW2 and ended up in Italy. If you use a white piece of paper and a piece of pencil lead and did a rub of both sides, you will be able to read the name of the team or college. It may be traceable from there, finding out if any alumni from that college were KIA in Italy, etc...best of luck, Sub

 

[Bramblefind]

I think the teams are Hobart and Rochester (New York). I found this article with the 1924 score and when I searched the other year match-ups the scores seemed to fit.

 

[Bramblefind]

Here's just a wild guess.. this man was on the Hobart College football team those years and he is listed as having served in WWII in Italy.

He is listed in the Hobart College football guide with the All Time Lettermen.

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]Name: Charles Thomas Yarington , Sr [SUP]1[/SUP]
Sex: M
Birth: 23 NOV 1905 in Waverly, Tioga County, NY, USA
Death: 19 FEB 1997 in Sun City Center, Hillsborough County, FL, USA
Burial: National Cemetery/ Florida
Military Service: BET 1942 AND 1945 World War, II, United States Navy, invasions of Salerno, Sicily, Anzio and southern France
Event: College 1927 Hobart College
Event: College 1931 Hahnemann Medical College
Event: College 1932 interned at Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, Bradford County, PA, USA
RETI: United States Navy Reserve, Commander
Reference Number: 71552[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[Subterranean]

You're getting close Bramblefind, awesome. The possible surname on the top of the engraving may end in "----well." Matteo will have to do the rub to give us more info. There may be a "Presented to ? ----well" at the top, followed by what I have already indicated at the bottom, unless I am seeing things. This mystery may be solved and descendants of the soldier may be out there. Wow! Sub

 

[Bramblefind]

That name may be of the coach at the time - VINCENT S. WELCH. This article excerpt is from 1929.

 

[Matteo La Boccia]

Thanks to everyone one for your precious help. What I read is:

........
"DEAR" or "DEAN" WELOH or WELCH
BY THE FOOTBALL TEAM
OF
1927
CONFERENCE
CHAMPIONS


Some idea? Thanks.

 

[Matteo La Boccia]

This obejct is a artigianal Zippo. I believe it can be lost from a USA soldier in WWII but in that place there was also a international military mission in 1936.

 

[Matteo La Boccia]

What is meaning for H and R? Please excuse me but I have not knowledge of american football.

 

[Bramblefind]

What is meaning for H and R? Please excuse me but I have not knowledge of american football.

Hi Matteo - I think the H is for Hobart College and the R is for the University of Rochester. Whomever this item belonged to was probably associated with the Hobart College football team.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[pkb]

dang I love this stuff

 

[Subterranean]

Hey Bramblefind, Are you able to find out if Vincent Welch served again in the US Army during WW2? He would have been in his 40's but that wasn't unheard of...! This is really cool, I hope the mystery can be solved. Sub

 

[Bramblefind]

Hey Bramblefind, Are you able to find out if Vincent Welch served again in the US Army during WW2? He would have been in his 40's but that wasn't unheard of...! This is really cool, I hope the mystery can be solved. Sub

Hi I wasn't able to find anything about him serving in WWII. He died in 1951 at age 58 and I found a few obits but they are all brief. I did find articles from November 1942 when his daughter died in the terrible Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in Boston.

This is from Nov 30, 1942 and he is said to be a vice-president of the Equitable Life Insurance Society at that time.

 

[Subterranean]

Well guys, I guess we can only speculate that Mr. Welch lost his Zippo lighter between the wars or between 1945-1951 while on vacation in Italy. Only other explanation is Mr. Welch had a son who was a US soldier and carried his dad's Zippo in WW2...


By the way, Matteo, did you find this item at the B-24 crash site you have been detecting? Sub

 

[Matteo La Boccia]

Thanks to all for precious informations you are giving about Vincent S. Welch. The zippo was find not in a crash site but in a place in Italy where in 1936 the Italian Army do exercitations and were present people and soldiers from various nations with the italian King and Mussolini. (See here and here Due ufficiali di delegazioni militari di nazioni amiche sul terreno delle grandi manovre in Irpinia - Reparto Attualità - Scheda fotografica - Cinecittà Luce - Senato della Repubblica) Then, in the same place, in 1943 the american army fought with some german soldiers. Is possible to know if Welch in 1936 served in Army or was in Italy? Thanks again!

 

[Matteo La Boccia]

What surprise!!! About the lighter I find is write on this old newspaper: http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Geneva%20NY%20Daily%20Times/Geneva%20NY%20Daily%20Times%201927%20Aug-Dec%201927%20%20Grayscale/Geneva%20NY%20Daily%20Times%201927%20Aug-Dec%201927%20%20Grayscale%20-%201179.pdf