Framed sign, “Sad Sak Shack”. Created by the nurses on New Guinea Base Hospital #13 as a sign at the entrance of Quonset hut. July 1944. Also 2 1/2 x 3/2 BW photo of nurses with sign and typed explanation included in frame. Nurses are Connie Finger (Lanham) and Genievieve Helgerson (Romine). The history of the title of the picture “SAD SAKS” was from two sources. “During WWII, the Army cartoon of “SAD SAKS”, and later published in book form, was very popular. Cannot recall the author-cartoonist. Secondly, each of the 4 Quonset huts, where the nurses lived had a name of our own choosing. My hut was called Sad Saks because we soon envisioned ourselves looking this way.–wearing Army Khaki trousers and shirts and heavy laced Army mens’ shoes. As the first Navy Nurses to arrive at Milne Bay Base Hospital, and unprepared for such jungle duty, they had to “outfit” us from the army base located nearby. Everything smelled from mold, our complexions were yellow and eyes jaundiced from the malaria-prophylactic Atabrine; our hair was droopy from the hot humidity of these uncivilized islands—well, yes— we were “Sad Saks!!!!!”
