BRUCE D. SKIDMORE, LT, USN

Bruce Skidmore '37

Date of birth: December 6, 1915

Date of death: March 1, 1942

Age: 26

Lucky Bag

From the 1937 Lucky Bag:

BRUCE DELBERT SKIDMORE

Lansing, Michigan

"Skid"

Quiet, cool, and unhurried, Skid gains just about what he desires, whether it be a seat in the crew or a pretty girl's affections. Although a first section man, Skid gives Colliers and Cosmo more weight than Nav and Steam. He likes good music, good companions, and a good time. Don't argue with him politically, because you can't win. Skid hopes to become a naval attache, and has all the natural requisites for the duty. Not entirely intellectual, he has developed through naval training a fast left jab, a strong pipe, and an undue discrimination in rating the fair sex.

Crew 4, 3, 2, 1. Star 2. Two Stripes.

BRUCE DELBERT SKIDMORE

Lansing, Michigan

"Skid"

Quiet, cool, and unhurried, Skid gains just about what he desires, whether it be a seat in the crew or a pretty girl's affections. Although a first section man, Skid gives Colliers and Cosmo more weight than Nav and Steam. He likes good music, good companions, and a good time. Don't argue with him politically, because you can't win. Skid hopes to become a naval attache, and has all the natural requisites for the duty. Not entirely intellectual, he has developed through naval training a fast left jab, a strong pipe, and an undue discrimination in rating the fair sex.

Crew 4, 3, 2, 1. Star 2. Two Stripes.

Loss

Bruce was lost when USS Houston (CA 30) was sunk on on March 1, 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait. He was a gunnery spotter. "Within minutes, Lt. Bruce D. Skidmore, stationed high in Houston's foremast, reports enemy cruisers…"

Other Information

All information below located by researcher Kathy Franz. From Lansing State Journal on April 8, 1942:

Lansing Naval Officer’s Last Letter Lashes Wartime Strikes

Parents of Lieut. Bruce Skidmore Receive Message Sent Before Java Battle; Was Prepared to ‘Cash in his Chips’\
A fatalistic attitude toward death and bitter condemnation of strikes in war industries mark the last letter written by Lieut. Bruce Skidmore to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. K. Skidmore, 2107 Teel avenue.
Mr. and Mrs. Skidmore, who received official notice from the naval bureau of investigation March 14 that their 26-year-old son was “missing in action,” presumably in the battle for Java, have just received the letter postmarked February 18. [The letter was written on U. S. S. Houston stationery.]
“If you don’t hear from me for long periods,” he told his parents, “there’s no cause for worry, because when and if I get mine, you will be notified quickly. And if that should occur, please don’t carry on too much about it. There are thousands dying every day in this war and we all have to cash in our chips some time.”
Lieutenant Skidmore, who received his promotion to lieutenant senior grade, only a few weeks before his last battle, continued the letter by expressing his anger and that of his fellows against strikes hampering the war effort.
“Just spread the word around,” he wrote “that the strikes we hear about are getting us pretty mad. Anyone participating is no friend of mine. It’s murder. Every delay, from strikes, bickering, etc., means more of us out here die and while we’re not afraid, still we don’t relish the idea.
“No matter how black things look, we can come out on top, if we all pitch in. Those of us at sea, in the air, and on the ground at the fighting lines are doing our best. The people at home, to date have not been doing their best, and we’re getting tired of it. You’ve got to push for us and with us.”
Served as Censor Himself\
Mention of censorship and a trunk in storage in San Francisco which he was having difficulty obtaining run through the letters which he sent to his parents here during the past few months.
In the last letter, he said “It has been quite a while since I’ve written, but mail is uncertain and there’s very little I’m allowed to tell you anyway. Of course, all mail leaving the ship is censored. In fact, I censor a lot of it myself. Some of our restrictions seem silly, but that’s not our privilege to change. The government decides what can be told, and then gives the public the version it desires.”
In a previous letter, dated January 9, he told of a trunk in bonded storage at a San Francisco warehouse, which he had been mentioning in his letters since July. His parents finally obtained the trunk, which contained clothing which he knew he would not need, in January.
Asks U. S. Bonds Be Bought\
In this letter he also revealed his promotion to lieutenant, senior grade with most of his class “I expect to be getting more money now, but I guess there will be no opportunity to spend any of it for a long time. I’m glad to get the rank and the pay, but I’d forego both to get on with this job and finish it. My fondest hope is to be in on the kill and help polish off the islands one by one.”
Lieutenant Skidmore asked his parents to buy war bonds with the money he had in the bank in another letter, dated January 2.
“I expect to have no use for money for some time, and so I’d like to have you buy some bonds, say for $1,000, with the money. As soon as $500 builds up, buy another. I don’t know much about those things, but they must have something equivalent to the old ‘Liberty’ bond, and all I care is that I can have them redeemed sometime when this is over.”
Anticipated War Start\
Frantic preparations to embark are mentioned in a letter written before the beginning of the war, dated November 27. “In the last hour, he said, “all plans have been thrown out, and some new scare is behind our sudden spurt to get a week’s work done in a day and get ready to leave the yard. Everything is torn up now, and it seems impossible that we can accomplish much. But we’ll do it if necessary. This may be just another rumor, and it may not. Could be der tag is here.”
He also described a week’s leave in this letter which he spent playing 36 holes of golf daily, eating three meals a day and sleeping in comfort under blankets.
Lieutenant Skidmore, who graduated from Lansing Easter High School in 1932 as valedictorian, entered the United States naval academy at Annapolis in 1933 and graduated from that school with the rank of ensign in 1937.
While at Eastern, he was a member of the swimming team for three years. He was president of his junior class, vice president of his senior class, treasurer of the student council, president of the Hi-Y club, took part in the Senior-B play and was elected to the national honorary society as a junior-A student, indicating high scholastic ability.

From Lansing State Journal, March 16, 1942: His classmates’ designation of him in the school’s year book was: “A born leader of men.”

From Lansing State Journal, April 26, 1942: The American government classes at Eastern, under the direction of Nelson Van Lier have recently completed the first Eastern service flag, honoring all Easternites who have entered the armed forces of the United States. The flag has a field of white bordered by red and has 312 blue stars. For the two boys, Bruce Skidmore and George Bartell, who gave their lives in the service of their country, two gold stars have been placed on the flag.

From Lansing State Journal, April 25, 1942: Congressman William W. Blackney of Flint of the sixth Michigan district ... announced he had named Edward O. Skidmore, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph K. Skidmore, 2107 Teel avenue, as his principal to Annapolis… Edward Skidmore is a brother of Lieut. Bruce Skidmore who was reported missing by the navy department on March 15 following the battle of Java in the south Pacific. He is a sophomore in the engineering division of Michigan State college and graduated from Eastern high school in 1940.

Other: In his senior year, Bruce played Henry Brevoort in the senior play “Little Old New York.” He was a member of Boy Scout, Troop 4. In December 1932, Rep. Seymour H. Person nominated Bruce as second alternate for the naval academy. Bruce’s father was superintendent in an auto factory, his mother was Bernice, and his sister was Dorothy.

His parents were listed as next of kin.

Bruce is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Photographs

From his high school yearbook
From the Lansing State Journal on March 16, 1942

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.