Lunch With Lynn and Hugh: 1943

From his Navy insignia, it would seem that Hugh was either an Aviation Radioman or Aviation Radio Technician, 2nd Class (ARM2 or ART2, respectively). A radioman operated radios, while a technician maintained them. The ratings and roles were different, but the insignia was the same.

I never knew how pretty my mom was. But then, I was born in 1958, and she was older then, and had my three older siblings. Plus my two younger siblings by 1962. I never knew how lovely Lynn was until I saw these photos online and realized how much my daughter Alexis, now 30 and a mother of two, looks like her.

Looks like Hugh has in his pocket a pair of those WW II Government Issue (GI for you acronym acolytes) aviator shades with the serious wrap-around-the-ear wire frames. My father-in-law, a WW II vet, gave me his and they were beautifully manufactured.

I wish I could discern the design on his pinky ring. Appears to be an archer or a bird. The watch on his right wrist suggests he was a lefty.

I *love* the individual serving milk bottles. I vaguely recall those from my childhood.

Solid food; I love the separate servings of mashed potatoes
"on the side" with the impressions filled with gravy. They also have a nice fruit plate as well as cake and apple pie(cobbler?) for dessert.

Looks like the previous patron did not finish his meal. See the tray with the tip. Such a waste.

[That's probably change, not a tip. Esther had to put down her tray to take the picture. - Dave]

Love the bottle of Tabasco on the table. Some things never change.

Of course we comment on looks - there's a whole Shorpy category on Pretty Girls, and Lynn ranks as that. As you yourself point out, she was a model. All I was saying was that Hugh was a lucky guy - Lynn was very pretty, in a way that transcends decades. Classic good looks.

I watch comments on this website on a daily basis. My father was in the Army Air Corps. You can find the link if you google Logan Southfield. He flew a P-61 Black Widow. My mother was a model for Anita Dress Shops and Zukors during WW2. Lynn Massman was not only nice looking, but a great mother. Since when do we base our comments on looks? We don't.

I imagine that the city of Washington in particular would probably have had a lot of facilities labeled as "United Nations" simply because you had military missions from just about every allied country present.

Hey, do Hugh and Lynn know their 8 week old son is being cared for in a non-existent organization's Nursery?

[United Nations refers to the countries allied against the Axis powers during the war. Kind of a generic expression at the time. - Dave]

Far from it...

Am I the only one viewing this series of pics who thinks Hugh was one lucky guy?