Evening star., 1946-03-12

Nine War Brides Meet
Husbands Here After
Trip From Australia
Before they were married, former
Army Corpl. c. D. Gentry, "a, Of
1909 Gallatin street NV, talked
over the telephone for six months
with an Australian phone operator
without seeing her, even though
both were in Brisbane all the time.
Her name was Claire. Now his
war bride, she arrived here today
with eight other Australian girls
who married American soldiers and
the story Of 'her likable voice, /"
came out.
A little bashfully, the couple ad-
mitted their voices Sounder so nice
to each other they finally decided
to meet. BY that time they seemed
to know each other pretty well,
through the telephone conversations.
Mr.. Gentry was discharged last
July and now works in the Pentagon.
Met In Church.
Another wife, Mrs Jean Rogers,
20, met her husband, Wayne, Is, Of
Berwyn, Md, in church. They
were married December IL, 1914,
and he left the service last Septem-
ber 16. He is now employed by the
All-America Gables & Radio, Inc.
After he kissed his bride, Jessie,
and their 18-month-old child,
Melva, Melvin Mangum of 500
South Twentieth street, Arlington,
blurted out that he had some be-
lated Christmas presents to give
them.
But he couldn't give them an
apartment, and the family will live
at the Arlington address with his
mother and brother until the hous-
ing shortage eases or some other
arrangements are made. MIR. Man
gum and his wife met in Brisbane
while he was on Today leave from
New Guinea and they were married
in July, 1943.
Greets Wife and Child.
Mrs. Rowena Kicklighter, 20, was
met by her husband, Raymond, 26,
|of "a Cleveland street, Kensington,
Md. He happily kissed her and
their child, Robert, 2, as crowds
surged around them on the Union
Station platform.
The couple was married in March,
1913, after Mr.. Kicklighter, a private
in the Quartermaster Transporta-
ton Corps at the time, met her in q
restaurant. in which she worked. He
returned here on December l, 1914,
and is contemplating opening q
garage in Arlington, Va.
Frank Pursel, 20, of 1722 r street
Sc, employe Of the Internal Rev.
enue Bureau, met his bride, Una,
20, at a Brisbane dance. The Pur-
sells were married on September 23,
1914, while he was an Air Forces
technical sergeant.
Marine 1t. Claude E. Neyman,
communications officer at Marine
headquarters here, greeted his wife,
Gwenda Davies Neyman, whom he
met while she was on duty with the
American Red Cross at her home
city of Melbourne. They were mar
ried in July, 1914, when 1t. Neyman
was given Is days leave between
battles in the South Pacific to fly
to Australia for the wedding. He
resides at $40 North Norwood street,
Arlington.
Travelled on Same Ship.
Another arrival was Mrs. Veronica
Willcher and 8-month-old Geoffrey
Eric, wife and son Of Martin
Willcher, %, of 1442 Sheridan street
NV. Mrs. Willcher came to Amer
lea on the steamship Mariposa, the
ship that took Mr.. Willcher te
Australia in 1912. They met at q
Red Cross dance in Townsville
about 800 miles from Brisbane. He
is now an OPA attorney and the
couple will live with his parents
while they hunt an apartment.
The other brides were Mrs. Alber,
Clocksim, whose husband, an Army
major of $50 South Eighteenth
street, Arlington, waited patiently
for her with an orchid in his hand
and Mrs. Carmela Kline, 80, Of 290t
Connecticut avenue NV, whose
husband, Ingelow Kline, 80, is Z
ships clerk in the Navy.
The group was met here by {
special detail from the personal af.
fairs section, special services branch
Marine Corps Headquarters, headed
by 1t. Lester E. Veigal. The vel.
coming official party included twt
woman Marine staff sergeants ane
a representative Of the Red Cross