Music in WWII: Portable Organs
Twenty years ago, a friend gave me the portable pump organ pictured below. Knowing little about it, I researched it but found nothing relating to the Spinett company. Instead, I found photos of portable organs used in WWII.
In the May 1, 2026 newsletter I wrote about Victory Vertical portable pianos, much loved by the troops. Equally important to the troops, but in a much different way, were portable fold-up pump organs made by the A.L. White Company of Vermont. At the height of the war, the company produced 500 new organs a month. The organ produced sound via brass reeds like those in harmonicas and accordions. Two foot pedals pumped bellows to create air flow over the reeds. Straps connected the foot pedals to the bellows, which enabled folding. This feature is illustrated in the very touching and beautifully made 5’15”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I788HPyvCmk
The spiritual well-being of service personnel was a priority overseen by the War Department. The 90-pound organs were part of the Chaplain’s ‘kit’ consisting of a jeep towing a small trailer. The trailer was a ‘church on wheels’ containing a folding alter, candlesticks, hymn books, and other materials for religious services. A chaplain’s assistant would generally play the organ.
Clergy could not be drafted so the military relied on religious denominations for recruiting. Before Pearl Harbor, many people opposed the war. After that, contrary to their own beliefs, many clergy volunteered. Knowing the need for spiritual comfort could not be greater, many clergy felt they had to serve. Assigned where needed, chaplains were on the frontlines, hospitals, ships, and served with the Graves Registration Service. Interfaith cooperation was the norm and chaplains cared for all service personnel regardless of their religious affiliation. By May 1, 1945, there were 2,796 chaplains serving in the ETO from Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faiths. These faith leaders cared for the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of soldiers and often provided solace in their last moments of life. Most chaplains went above and beyond their duties—some perished aiding the dying or attempting rescues.
We can all imagine the fear of men preparing to go into battle. Religious services provided comfort and boosted morale before an offensive. Singing the familiar lyrics of hymns helped men hold on to hope in the midst of a seemingly endless war.
I’ve often thought of my combat medic dad and know that he saw the worst a person can possibly see. He heard at least one of the portable organs. He wrote in his journal on Nov. 12, 1944: “Very cold late supper and went to church with Mude [fellow medic] across the road, where division chaplain had a jeep and portable organ. Had a baptism, Sgt. Hendries, B Company. We had a very nice and sincere service.”
In my novel Dear Nora, neuropsychiatric nurse Nora writes home in March 1944, “I’m learning a whole new language from patients. This week’s new terms are “retread”—a soldier who served in WWI who’s fighting in WWII, and “sin-buster”—the chaplain. I was rather shocked the first time a soldier asked me to fetch the sin-buster. I hear plenty more slang that’s inappropriate to put in a letter home!”
And in a letter from Nora’s mother to Nora in Sept. 1944, “Bertha Bradley got a letter from Glen saying he’s now a chaplain’s assistant in the ETO. He does office work, drives the chaplain about, and plays a portable organ at church services. Looks like his piano lessons kept him out of the infantry.”