Providence firemen answered more than 130 alarms, most of them false.Īt Quonset Point Naval Air Station, the largest naval air station between New York City and Boston, and at the next-door headquarters of the Seabees at Davisville, the celebrations were immediate and intense.įorestdale native Nellie Moore Rollins, a WAVE stationed at Davisville, summed up a common feeling: “We felt we’d been released. Policemen, supported by busloads of navy shore patrolmen, attempted to maintain order. Young celebrants burned the playhouse at Garibaldi Playground and tried to do the same at Richardson Park.
#Letter trying to ban victory day in rhode island windows#
Vandals smashed windows in downtown stores and on trolley cars. Muggers assaulted some women, dragging them to the pavement for “sport.” Fights broke out when sailors tried to steal kisses from young women in front of their male companions. Later in the night, in some places in Providence, matters took a violent turn. Bonfires burned on Federal Hill, and in South Providence, Mount Pleasant and Fox Point. Ann’s Church off Branch Avenue was roped off for a block dance. Impromptu parades broke out everywhere, including one held by Brown University students marching up Thayer Street.
Huge crowds gathered in other parts of the city too, including at Olneyville Square. A patrolman, viewing the shouting throngs in front of City Hall, exclaimed, with a bit of exaggeration, “Times Square has nothing on this tonight!”
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