photo by: Joselyn King

Josh Jacobs of Wheeling examines early 1940s menus from Southern towns collected by his grandfather, James Malcolm Jacobs. During World War II, the eldest Jacobs served with U.S. Army 436th Military Escort Guard Company at a German POW camp in Aliceville, Alabama known as “Camp Aliceville.”

WHEELING — James Malcolm Jacobs of Wheeling died more than 30 years ago — but not before curating a box of World War II-era mementos that still survive after 80 years.

During the war, Jacobs served with the U.S. Army 436th Military Escort Guard Company at a German POW camp in Aliceville, Alabama known as “Camp Aliceville.”

The items he collected and saved during his time there help tell the story of the encampment, and could soon be on their way back to Alabama.

His grandson, Josh Jacobs, recently received his grandfather’s box from his stepmother Marilyn Jacobs. Josh Jacobs’ father — also named James — passed away last year.

But as Josh Jacobs explored the box and its items, one thing especially jumped out at him. It was a Western Union telegram, dated Sept. 19, 1945, telling him his “splendid son” James had been born at 3 a.m.

This brought Josh Jacobs an instant connection to both his father and grandfather.

There was also his grandfather’s camp identification card, and the only photo he has of his grandfather in military uniform.

“I remember as a kid he didn’t talk about stuff in depth,” Josh Jacobs said of his time in the military. “I do remember him saying that occasionally they had prisoners escape, and that they would usually come back on their own.

“They were in the middle of Alabama, and most of them only spoke German.”

He added he was surprised by the large number and variety of items his grandfather retained.

“He kept just about everything,” Josh Jacobs said. “I’m just disappointed there wasn’t a uniform to go with the stuff. I don’t know what happened to his uniform. I never saw it as a kid.”

photo by: Joselyn King

These items from the World War II era were found in a box curated by James Malcolm Jacobs.

Among the items was an assortment of menus from restaurants in such places as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida.

One of the menus states a lobster tail dinner at the Lobster House in Jacksonville that time cost $1.65.

James Malcolm Jacobs was among the soldier guards charged with moving the German POWs to and from various locations in the south, and he collected a wide variety of maps from Atlanta and throughout Mississippi.

Also in the box was a letter to a prisoner from Germany that James Malcom Jacobs translated. His parents were German, and he spoke the language fluently, according to Josh Jacobs. The letter turned out to be a song sung by German troops.

James Malcolm Jacobs also ran the movie projector at the internment camp, and a list of the films he showed was saved. It lists such titles as “National Velvet” and “Keep Your Powder Dry.”

After he returned to Wheeling, one of his first jobs was as a projectionist, Josh Jacobs said.

A saved B&O Railroad ticket denotes his travel home from Alabama to Wheeling — with a stop in Cincinnati. He would continue to serve in the Army Reserves until 1949.

“Had he chosen to do a second stint in the reserves, he very well could have gone on to Korea,” Josh Jacobs said.

James Malcolm Jacobs eventually would go on to oversee the cabin department at Oglebay Park from 1971 until his death in 1992.

Josh Jacobs has no other living relatives, and has only shown his grandfather’s collection to his pastor, Sean Smith of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Josh Jacobs has contacted the Aliceville Museum, which has a large collection dedicated to the former “Camp Aliceville.” He plans to donate his grandfather’s items to the museum, but with a couple of exceptions.

He is keeping the telegram announcing his father’s birth to his grandfather, as well as his grandfather’s post identification card.

Information from the Aliceville Museum notes that during World War II nearly 400,000 German Soldiers were interned in 511 prisoner of war camps in the United States, and one of the of the largest was Camp Aliceville.

At Camp Aliceville, the U.S. Army housed more than 6,100 German POWs and employed more than 1,000 American military and civilian personnel, according to the museum.