 OKLAHOMA
MEN
LISTED MISSING
War Dept Report Includes sooner Unaccounted For In
Europe
WASHINGTON,
Oct. 3---(AP) Additional Oklahoma soldiers missing
in action in .the European area were listed today by
the War department. They were ...
Lieut. Leon E. Lavender
[Miami Daily News-Record, Miami, OK, 03 Oct 1944, Tue, Page 3]
Officer 'Safe' Identification Is Mystery
A Utica radio "ham" called The Binghamton Press last
night to report a German broadcast in which a
Binghamton man was reported "safe and well" as a
prisoner of war, but a thorough check here failed to
disclose the identity of the reported prisoner.
The Utica man, Curtis Taylor of 107 Columbia Street, said . that
because of poor reception he could not be sure of
the name. It sounded like "First Lieut. Leon
Lavender, son of Mrs. Rose Lavender," he said,
adding that the address sounded like 64 "Clarke" or
"Park" Street.
The Press today checked residents of several streets, including
both Clarke and Park Streets, but without success.
The Broome County Red Cross Chapter checked its
prisoner-of-war files but was unable to find a
similar name.
Mr. Taylor said he was a member of the Short Wave Amateur Monitors
(SWAM) and has mailed some 3,000 postal cards to
families whose relatives he had heard named on
German broadcasts. In the past the radio accounts
have been "fairly accurate," he said.
[Press and Sun-Bulletin
(Binghamton, NY,
26 Oct 1944, Thu, Main Edition, Page 3] |
 Mystery
of War Captive Reported by Radio 'Ham' Cleared by
Soldier's Wife
Mrs.
Rose Lavender Learns Husband 'Safe, Well' in Prison.
Camp
The mystery of the identity of the prisoner of war who was said to
be "safe and well" in a German radio broadcast last
Wednesday was solved today when Mrs. Rose Lavender
of 144 Susquehanna Street came to the office of The
Binghamton Press. She identified the prisoner as her
husband, First Lieut. Leon E. Lavender, and said she
had received more than a score of postal cards from
persons throughout the East and Midwest who had
heard the broadcast. The Press conducted an
intensive but unsuccessful check last week when a
Utica radio "ham" called to report that he had heard
the broadcast. He said the address given by the
German announcer sounded like 64 "Clarke" or "Park"
Street. Mrs. Lavender said she formerly lived at 54
Park Street. She came to Binghamton from Willsboro
last December when her husband was sent overseas,
and now lives with a sister, Mrs. Lloyd Osborne of
the Susquehanna Street address. Lieutenant Lavender
had participated as a paratrooper in the D-day
landings in Normandy and had been listed as missing
since that day. His wife first learned that he was a
prisoner of war just 11 days ago when she received a
form card from him. She received War Department
notification Saturday.
A native of Ada, Okla., Lieutenant Lavender entered the army five
years ago. It was while he was stationed at
Plattsburg that he met and married his wife two
years ago. He is a son of Mrs. Florence Lavender of
Ada.
The broadcast also was heard by Mrs. J. G. Hoffer of Johnson City
R. D. 2, who called The Press on Friday. The Utica
"ham" was Curtis Taylor of 107 Columbia Street, who
said he was a member of the Short Wave Amateur
Monitors (SWAM) and had mailed some 3,000 postal
cards to families whose relatives he had heard named
on German broadcasts.
[Press
and Sun-Bulletin,
Binghamton, NY,
01 Nov 1944, Wed, Main
Edition. Page
5] |
