Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This a rare late WW2 tube radio that was made for the U.S Navy by Crosley contract N5SR-7246 (May 1945). This was called a Morale radio intended for the listening pleasure of sailors on land only. The red warning tag states that it was not safe to use aboard ship. This is a model REO that is AM band only. With a wire antenna hooked up I was able to receive multiple stations, many of them distant. The radio measures approximately 14 x 7 x 8". The overall condition is excellent. We plugged it in and it does seem to function!
However, what makes this a truly interesting radio is that it belonged to Admiral William Halsey and was gifted to his friend Harold B. Thurber who was a major cattle rancher in Arizona. Accompanying this radio are the following items:
- Notarized letter dated September 28, 2004 that reads:
This is to certify that the radio receiver identified as a Reo Rapid Receiver, SN 1834 and further identified as 1 CR046286, Crosely and also as CN.NS sr7246, was presented to my Uncle Harold B. Thurber by Admiral William H. "Bull" Halsey on one of his many visits to my uncle's Thurber Hereford Singing Valley Ranch. When he gave it to my uncle Adm Halsey told him it was his personal radio and that he carried throughout WWII. He told him that many important messages pertaining to the war were relayed through this radio, and that some day it would be valuable.
- 6 x Original Official Public Information Office 8' x 10" photos of Admiral Halsey with Harold Thurber (wearing the cowboy hat).
- A signed letter from Halsey to Thurber at this Hereford Ranch in Sonita, Arizona dated 10 April 1958.
- 2 x signed photos of Admiral Halsey both made out to "My good friend" H.B. Thurber signed by Halsey.
All in all a really nice personal collection from a good friend of Admiral Bill Halsey!
Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey Jr., KBE (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959),[2] known as Bill Halsey or "Bull" Halsey, was an American admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. He is one of four individuals to have attained the rank of fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others being Ernest King, William Leahy, and Chester W. Nimitz.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Halsey graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1904. He served in the Great White Fleet and, during World War I, commanded the destroyer USS Shaw. He took command of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga in 1935 after completing a course in naval aviation, and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1938. At the start of the War in the Pacific (1941–1945), Halsey commanded the task force centered on the carrier USS Enterprise in a series of raids against Japanese-held targets.
Halsey was made commander, South Pacific Area, and led the Allied forces over the course of the Battle for Guadalcanal (1942–43) and the fighting up the Solomon chain (1942–45). In 1943 he was made commander of the Third Fleet, the post he held through the rest of the war. He took part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of the Second World War and, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history. He was promoted to fleet admiral in December 1945 and retired from active service in March 1947.
However, what makes this a truly interesting radio is that it belonged to Admiral William Halsey and was gifted to his friend Harold B. Thurber who was a major cattle rancher in Arizona. Accompanying this radio are the following items:
- Notarized letter dated September 28, 2004 that reads:
This is to certify that the radio receiver identified as a Reo Rapid Receiver, SN 1834 and further identified as 1 CR046286, Crosely and also as CN.NS sr7246, was presented to my Uncle Harold B. Thurber by Admiral William H. "Bull" Halsey on one of his many visits to my uncle's Thurber Hereford Singing Valley Ranch. When he gave it to my uncle Adm Halsey told him it was his personal radio and that he carried throughout WWII. He told him that many important messages pertaining to the war were relayed through this radio, and that some day it would be valuable.
- 6 x Original Official Public Information Office 8' x 10" photos of Admiral Halsey with Harold Thurber (wearing the cowboy hat).
- A signed letter from Halsey to Thurber at this Hereford Ranch in Sonita, Arizona dated 10 April 1958.
- 2 x signed photos of Admiral Halsey both made out to "My good friend" H.B. Thurber signed by Halsey.
All in all a really nice personal collection from a good friend of Admiral Bill Halsey!
Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey Jr., KBE (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959),[2] known as Bill Halsey or "Bull" Halsey, was an American admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. He is one of four individuals to have attained the rank of fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others being Ernest King, William Leahy, and Chester W. Nimitz.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Halsey graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1904. He served in the Great White Fleet and, during World War I, commanded the destroyer USS Shaw. He took command of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga in 1935 after completing a course in naval aviation, and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1938. At the start of the War in the Pacific (1941–1945), Halsey commanded the task force centered on the carrier USS Enterprise in a series of raids against Japanese-held targets.
Halsey was made commander, South Pacific Area, and led the Allied forces over the course of the Battle for Guadalcanal (1942–43) and the fighting up the Solomon chain (1942–45). In 1943 he was made commander of the Third Fleet, the post he held through the rest of the war. He took part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of the Second World War and, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history. He was promoted to fleet admiral in December 1945 and retired from active service in March 1947.
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