Label
Western Union Radio Telegraph Signal Set, c. 1945
Used by William Vroman Mason (1906-1989)
Waterbury, VT
Paper, metal, fabric
Gift of Brian Lindner, #2020.24.5a-j
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the official volunteer auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The Vermont "Wing" of CAP consists of a headquarters in South Burlington and squadrons located throughout the state. The Vermont Wing has single engine aircraft, vehicles, radios, direction finding, and various equipment, along with pilots, senior members, and cadets who are ready to serve Vermont with various CAP missions.
William Vroman Mason was the production manager at Waterbury’s Derby & Ball plant, supervising their manufacture of items such as scythes, baseball bats, and both snow and water skis. He became Vermont Wing Commander of the Civil Air Patrol from November 1942 to November 1947. He may have been the first Vermont Wing Commander as the CAP was established in November 1941. In his role as Wing Commander, he directed CAP efforts to rescue the surviving crew member of the October 1944 bomber crash on Camel’s Hump, saving the life of PFC James Wilson.
Mason used this telegraph set to train new recruits to the CAP. Though technologically surpassed by radio and other new communications devices at the time, during World War II the telegraph was still a crucial tool because of its familiarity and reliability. Telegraphs work by connecting and interrupting an electrical circuit. With each interruption, the device generates a noise – usually a click or a beep – that operators interpret in code. Cadets in the CAP would have learned to use the telegraph itself as well as Morse code and its accompanying shorthand, as seen here in the training materials.