Joe Dobrucki

Story Contributed by Jack Holden to our Chapter Newsletter “Studebanner” Mar-Apr 2002

Hamilton Plant Connection to the Devils Brigade

Regrettably I missed the annual Meeting in October, it’s always great to meet fellow members over lunch. Especially as the Guest Speaker was Ken Cutmore describing the Weasel and his Uncle Bill’s connection to it. Studebanner readers are probably unaware that the “First Special Service Force” that Ken highlighted in his presentation had a direct link to the Studebaker Hamilton Plant - in that one of the employees was a member of the “Devils Brigade”. If you ever happen to see a red Arrowhead on a white background on a car you will know the owner was in a very special group during W.W. II. Joe Dobrucki joined Studebaker after his Army Career and stayed until the 1966 Shutdown. During that time he built a house for himself , his wife Stella and five children in Hamilton’s East end. Mentioning at one time that some of the lumber he bought, as money permitted, he pushed home on his bicycle! After fighting all the Italian Campaign and then in France this was probably the least of his problems. It was after many years that his wife Stella, applied for his war medals and only recently had he briefly mentioned his experience, other than “we never failed to take every assignment we were given and were the first Allied Forces to enter Rome”. In the last few years, Joe has attended the FSSF annual reunions, one of which was held at their original base in Helena, Montana. We owe a great deal of gratitude to men such as Ken Cutmore’s Uncle Bill and Joe Dobrucki. With the passing years the high casualties they sustained, there are a dwindling number we can say “Thank you” to. Without them the Hamilton Plant would have probably carried on assembling “Bofor” guns for the war effort. Would we have had a Studebaker Plant in Hamilton or the Studebanner to read or the life we have, if it were not for men such as them? I know I wouldn’t!

In 2014, Mr Joe Dobrucki was honoured by the Ontario Chapter SDC on the Studebaker Made in Canada Plaque at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana.