Price: $1,600.00
Hardcover. Four small albums. Each is approximately 4½" x 6½". Mostly uniformly bound (three in brown and one in white) in cloth over boards with "Snaps" in silver on the covers. Contains 218 images, all but one are glossy black and white gelatin silver photographs, mounted one or two to the page. One color image is of a man in fatigues, probably the compiler of the albums. Slight rubbing on the boards, near fine; the images are mostly fine. Easily removable from the corner mounts, a few are captioned on the rear, although we haven't checked them all. Some blank pages but no obvious evidence of photos removed.
Goose Bay Air Base was built at record speed. It was first used for air traffic just two days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Royal Canadian Air Force, mostly for use by both the British and U.S. Army Air Force in supplying England, protecting convoys, and ferrying troops. Both the RAF and the USAAF had their own sections of the base. It became one of the busiest air bases in the world. These images seem to be from around 1942-44.
The images seem almost exclusively taken on the American area of the base, with many images of outdoor activities, mostly in deep snow including sleds and sled dogs, several of some puppies that seem to have been adopted by the airmen, doghouses, skiing (both downhill and cross-country), snow-shoeing, and shooting. There are many additional images from around the base: posed before makeshift buildings (some from above, presumably from a nearby hill), bunkers, soldiers queuing up to get inside, the radio room, and in offices. There are many images of planes on snowy runways, mostly bombers or large transports. Additionally there are images of jeeps, tractors, snowplows, and other ground transportation. There are several images of WACS, mostly posed in snow, and several more of female USO entertainers. One image of a young woman singing is captioned on the verso: "This USO girl was killed in France."
A thorough overview of the base, thorough with a good number of images, and geographically homogenous.
Item #422323
