Japan surrenders .............It was on Wednesday evening, August 15, 1945, when President Truman officially announced that Japan had surrendered. Middleboro residents were alerted at three minutes after seven p.m. as fire whistles “blasted out the news with 10 blows and the bells of churches pealed in rejoicing. The citizens flocked into the streets. Auto horns blared. At 7:15 p.m. the fire whistles sounded the call for the State Guard,” so declared the front page write-up in the Middleboro Gazette of Friday, September 17, 1945. ......Describing the excitement, the Gazette reported that, “Legionnaires headed by Commander Edward B. C. Bailey (Simeon L Nickerson Post 64), with their national and Legion colors started an impromptu parade thru the central streets.” ......“By an hour later, members of the Memorial High School band had assembled at the town house, with their instruments but uniformless, and headed by the band, Legionnaires and other citizens, and a mass of youths and children, paraded up Center street, out South Main street and back again until breath and legs gave out,” according to the Gazette reporter. ......“From VJ hour on there was a continued racket of crackers exploding singly and in bunches.” The paper revealed that Albino Faietti, who ran a fourth of July fireworks stand, “broke out his four year stock of firecrackers” and gave them away. ......The Gazette further described the scene this way, “Confetti, torn paper, remains of crackers littered the streets, as cars, some decorated dragging tin cans, many filled to capacity, roaming the streets, followed the paraders, parked to watch.” ......“In announcing the surrender of Japan, President Truman proclaimed a two-day Federal legal Holiday, “ Middleboro townspeople were informed. .............Posted by Bob Lessard Post 64 Historian
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