Housed in a cardboard envelope that says “A Message From Your Man in Service,” the record is a rare example of an initiative established by Pepsi Cola during the War. Pepsi set up recording studios at servicemen centers in New York, San Francisco and Washington DC and sent a mobile recording studio to military bases around the country, according to Bob Stoddard, an authority on Pepsi memorabilia and the author of “The Encyclopedia of Pepsi-Cola Collectibles.”
During World War II the Pepsi-Cola Company operated three canteens or centers around the country: one in New York City’s Times Square, one in Washington, DC and one in San Francisco, CA. The centers provided shaves, showers, checking, a lounge, and reading and writing facilities, all at no cost to service men and women. They also offered a low cost sandwich bar with free Pepsi and a central place to leave and receive messages.
Millions of service men and women and their families recorded 78 r.p.m. audio letters during the war years courtesy of Pepsi-Cola.
Treasure Island Staff Book:
Attached are a few scans of selected pages of the Staff Book for the Radio Materiel School on Treasure Island. Dad was an instructor in the Month 9 Fire Control Radar Group and is on page 14.
JH Gardiner right side, second row up.
Backside of the photo above:
