Lot 4060

Description

Crew of (John Kennedy's WWII boat) PT-109 signatures, in biro on a commemorative cover with a cachet of John F. Kennedy and a map of the Solomon Islands and the word Survival, postal cancellation 'Washington D.C. Oct 14 A.M. 1968', with signatures of Ed Drewitch, Charles A. Harris, Maurice L. Kowal, Pat McMahon, John Maguire, Gerard E. Zinser, all indicating PT-109 and one other illegible below the cachet without PT-109 indicator. Fine.

With certificate of authenticity of RR Auction.

Lt John F. Kennedy (later 35th President of USA from 1961 until assassinated in November 1963) was commander of Patrol Torpedo boat PT-109 that was sunk in Blackett Strait, south of the Solomon Islands on the night of 1 August 1943. He and the crew swam to a nearby deserted island and after moving islands over the course of the next few days they were finally spotted and contacted by two islander scouts for the allies. A message was sent with them requesting assistance and on their return they brought a message from an Australian coastwatcher, Lt Arthur Reginald Evans, and eventually Kennedy and his men were rescued.