Last week, I mentioned that Bradley Street in Romeo was named after Second Lieutenant Charles T. Bradley Jr. But, did you know that Romeo decided to rename multiple roads after other soldiers killed during World War II?
In July 1945, the common council in Romeo met to vote on a few items. One of them was whether or not to approve the name changes of 8 different streets upon the request from the Detroit Edison Company.
The July 13, 1945 issue of The Romeo Observer Press printed this article about the council's activities at that time.
Four of those streets - Douglas, Elm, School, and Second - were altered to honor fallen World War II soldiers who grew up in Romeo even though the war still raged on in the Pacific during that part of the summer. Their names were the aforementioned Charles T. Bradley Jr., Charles Hart Jr., James McVicar, and Victor Rettell.
As I mentioned in last week's article, Charles Bradley Jr. was killed overseas in January 1945.
Private First Class Charles Hart Jr. died on April 13, 1945 after Japanese shrapnel hit his head on Negros Island in the Philippines.
Master Sergeant James McVicar passed away in a plane crash in the Asiatic Sector around September 10, 1943. James was the first Romeoite to be killed during that war. His and Charles Bradley's names are also honored on the World War II plaque remembering the Romeo High School athletes who lost their lives.
Private Victor Rettell died in France on October 25, 1944 as a result of wounds he received while fighting in Holland on October 21.
The street names in Romeo were determined by the time the 1875 atlas map came out, so this was the first major change for them. It was for a good cause even if the newspaper didn't make it a big deal in 1945. However, in the very next year, it honored the Romeoites who lost their lives during World War II with this Memorial Day article. And yes, the two Charleses, James, and Victor are mentioned.
Eighty years later, people still walk and drive on those roads. Every now and then, look at the street names, and remember how Charles Bradley Jr., Charles Hart Jr., James McVicar, and Victor Rettell gave their lives while fighting a world war.
I'm glad the Village President and the trustees who were present in 1945 all approved of the name changes.
To learn more about these men and streets, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers like The Romeo Observer on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Romeo Community Archives, 1875 Atlas Maps, Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer Press, October 29, 1943, p.I-1; December 1, 1944, p.1; February 16, 1945, p.1; May 11, 1945, p.1; June 1, 1945, p.8; July 13, 1945, p.6; and May 30, 1946, p.1