William Felix Vann, Sr. (Bumps)

I have at least four great-uncles that were in the US Armed Forces during World War II. One of those great-uncles is William Felix Vann, Sr..  To his shipmates, he’s known as Felix.  To his family and close friends, he’s known simply as Bumps. To me, he’s Uncle Bumps. And, if being on the receiving end of a piece of bubblegum (i.e. the round, thick, fruity variety) has never created a moment of sheer joy for you, then you haven’t had an uncle quite like Bumps.  His quick wit and humorous nature, combined with his oft-repeated bubblegum giveaways, made bumping (pun intended) into him quite a treat.

"Aunt Mary" holding William Felix Vann (Bumps)  - circa 1923

"Aunt Mary" was a mid-wife from Dothan who helped out with the deliveries and immediate post-delivery period, but Daddy was uncertain for which kids.  Maybe all but Uncles Jack and Sam?  Aunt Grace and Uncle Sam could not fill in this info void.  - Bill Vann

The Wiregrass Farmer

August 23, 1928

1930

April 1933

October 29, 1936

June 1937

May 1939

July 1940

Uncle Bumps in his Navy uniform! April, 1940 - joined Navy

Sept 1940

Dec 1940

May 1941

(the rest was not in the paper)

Sept 1941

Oct. 1941

May 1942

Sept 17, 1942

June 1943

The Montgomery Advertiser

August 29, 1943

Feb. 1944

March 1944

USS Mayo, a destroyer

Uncle Bumps was a radio man on this ship from December 1940 - 1942 as it escorted supply convoys to theaters where Allied Soldiers were fighting fiercely against Nazi forces. North Africa, Italy and Murmansk, Russia are examples of dangerous convoy routes that the USS Mayo serviced. The ship dropped explosives to destroy German subs. Uncle Bumps said that these missions, at first, were covert because the United States was not supposed to be in any action: at least the people back home thought so.  Pearl Harbor, of course, changed all that.

source

The USS Independence

In December 1943, Uncle Bumps transferred to this gigantic vessel. His was a part of Combat Aviation Control. Apparently, in the Asian Pacific, the USS Independence encountered not only big numbers of Japanese warships, but a significant number of fearless Kamikazes. The Independence was in eight battles and suffered at least one major hit by one of the Kamikazes; Uncle Bumps said the crew had to fight to save the ship. Ironically, the world war itself didn't "do in" the mighty Independence; instead, when the carrier was decommissioned it was used for target practice by the US nuclear forces. Amazingly, even after being hit by an atom bomb at sea, the wreckage remained afloat, only to be towed into harbor.  UPDATE (5/24):  Discovered this story on NPA.

Allen,

Back in 2001, I asked Daddy to write down what he could remember about his time in the Navy. As you can see from the attached, he remembered "a lot".

When you asked me about his possible visits to Phillipines or Japan toward end of the war, I figured that his record would cover this. GUESS WHAT, I couldn't find his letter. Janet to the rescue. After several days of looking behind me, she found the goods.

If you can't read this, I will try some other format.

Mike Vann



 

Feb 1949

March 1949

1952

Jan. 1956

Uncle Bumps (Felix Vann) with his late wife, Dot (Wood) Vann, and their granddaughter, Rachel. Bumps and Dot were together 58 years.

Imagine drinking your early morning brew out of one of these. I'm guessing the brew and the mugs could make starting a conversation a tad easier.  Behind the coffee mugs, on the poster, is the Serenity Prayer. 

One of Uncle Bumps' certificates for doing something quite unusual.

Kade and I stopped by to see Uncle Bumps at his home on Main Street in Headland, AL during our most recent visit to the Wiregrass. Naturally this visit enabled me to talk with him about his WWII experiences and take a look through his memorabilia.

Update:  On June 18, 2009, Uncle Bumps died.

To read his obit, click here.

Uncle Bumps was a fascinating man who had a lot of personal charisma.  He certainly made others enjoy being around him.  When I was a boy, I would love just to stop by his clothing store on the square to see him.  Yes, the gum played a part, I'm sure.  However, if he had been a grouchy, grumpy ole guy, I wouldn't have stopped by.  Uncle Bumps was indeed a "character" and brought a lot of humor into the world.  There's something to be said for that!

My next project will be to add the interview Uncle Bumps did about his experiences in World War II.

vintage slides from the Sam Vann, Jr. family collection