Sunday Favorites: Camp Weatherford

Camp Weatherford was a sub-base that briefly existed in Bradenton during WWII. It was a signal corps training center located east of Ninth Street and south of 13th Avenue near the armory and present-day McKechnie Field, according to Lt. Col. G. Warren Johnson Jr. in his speech ”WWII Comes to Manatee County.“

The facilities were quaint, with the men housed in tents, with access to a communal bath tent and mess hall. Approximately 350 men received training at Camp Weatherford. Johnson estimated that those men took at least 36,000 showers during their eight months at the camp, with a minimum of 150 showers occurring on a daily basis.

Because of the frequent showering, washing of clothes, low elevation, rainy weather and proximity to Ware’s Creek, the camp was constantly flooded.

Ray Singleton, who was stationed at Camp Weatherford, said the camp had horrible sanitary conditions and described his experience as ”being knee-deep in mud,“ at all times. In his 1988 speech to the Manatee County Historical Society entitled ”Camp Weatherford, Bradenton,“ Singleton claimed that the camp received so many complaints, officials brought doctors to assess the health of the men. The doctors gave nearly 200 men physicals over the course of the week and concluded that all the soldiers examined were ”unfit to serve overseas.“

At the camp, even the smallest ailments could turn serious. Singleton had to be carried home after an ingrown toenail got infected. Married soldiers were allotted leave to spend time with their families and Singleton and his wife were temporarily renting a room in a residence on Manatee Avenue. He was carried back to the camp to await surgery and forced to lay in pain on a hard bunk.

To help with conditions, officials opened the Serviceman’s Recreational Center. Volunteers served the men food and helped keep the camp clean. Johnson described the facility as a ”godsend.“

One has to remember that back in 1940’s America, men typically did not participate in household duties. Singleton said that more than half the soldiers stationed at Camp Weatherford had never done laundry or cleaned a bathroom prior to their arrival.

After conditions improved at the camp, soldiers stationed there had fond memories of their experience. They described the town of Bradenton as beautiful with friendly and hospitable residents. During furlough, they went on camping trips in Palmetto and Myakka, visited the Gulf beaches and even got to stay at the Ringling Hotel in Sarasota for a night.

Joe Grossman, also stationed at Camp Weatherford, ran a radio show called ”Weatherford Shinings“ which broadcast over WSPB, reaching residents in Sarasota and Lido Beach. The old Buick garage in downtown Bradenton allowed the soldiers use of its facility for headquarters and motorcade. The employees even helped the soldiers do some of their maintenance work, according to Singleton.

The First Presbyterian Church opened up a servicemen reading and writing room where soldiers could check out books and write their loved ones letters.

In September of 1943, the men riled up the city by taking to the streets in uniform and marching throughout the downtown area. The dress parade was well received and a fitting send before the soldiers shipped out overseas.

When Singleton moved to Bradenton, around 10 years after the conclusion of the war, he was surprised that very few residents even remembered the sub-base. He donated photos to the Manatee County Historical Society in order to keep the memory alive and hopefully this column will continue to do the same.