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Original program for a “Dinner in Honor of General George S. Patton, Jr., U.S.A.,” given by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Governor Maurice J. Tobin at The Copley Plaza in Boston on June 7, 1945, four pages, 6 x 9, signed on the front cover in pencil, “G. S. Patton, Jr.” The cover is also signed at the top by his wife, “Beatrice Ayer Patton.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a transmittal letter from Thomas P. McCusker, the private secretary to Governor Tobin, sent to Chief Warrant Officer Joseph F. Freni, Bandleader of the 320th Army Band, on June 20, 1945: “I will be glad to obtain any copies of the pictures which were taken at the State Dinner for General Paton. I am enclosing two that were taken at the Bedford Airport which might be of interest to you.” The two referenced photos, both glossy, 5 x 4 and 10 x 8, picturing General Patton and Governor Tobin at the Bedford Air Base on June 7th, are included. The lot is also accompanied by various photos of Freni and program material from his involvement with a Washington birthday celebration on board the SS Argentina on February 22, 1942.
After the conclusion of his duties in Europe during World War II, General George S. Patton returned to the United States on June 7, 1945. His plane landed at Bedford Airport (now Hanscom Field) near Boston, where Patton was greeted by a large crowd, including military officials and his family, including his wife, Beatrice. The welcoming ceremony included a 17-gun salute and a motorcade that ushered him from the airport to downtown Boston. Along the route, thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the general, whose homecoming culminated with Patton delivering a speech at the Hatch Memorial Shell before a crowd of 20,000 people, where he praised the American military and encouraged continued support for the war effort through the purchase of war bonds.
As quoted from The Boston Globe (Friday, June 8, 1945): ‘Gen. George S. Patton, whose 3rd Army led the conquest of Germany, stormed and captured Boston without any help yesterday. Home in glory from the former battlefields of Europe to the city that claims him as an adopted son, the 59-year-old General was acclaimed by an estimated 1,000,000 persons along the 23-mile route from Bedford Airport. Thousands hailed him as he rode in an open car at the head of his entourage through downtown Boston, around the Common, past the State House, and down to the Esplanade, where state and city officials made him welcome. At Hatch Shell, after he was officially greeted in the name of Boston and Massachusetts, Gen. Patton overcame his dislike of oratory long enough to address a throng of 20,000 persons, including a group of officers and men who had been wounded in action while serving under him.’
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