Use Restrictions

There are no other restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the World War II Hawaii photograph album must be obtained from Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

World War II Hawaii photograph album, C0496, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Caroliniana Books in April 2019.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Amanda Brent in January 2022. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in January 2022.

Historical Note

The Hawaiian Islands were irrevocably and drastically changed by the Second World War and the U.S. Military. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941, Hawaii - particularly the island of Oahu - became the United States' bastion of the Pacific War.

After Pearl Harbor, martial law was enacted in Hawaii and would remain in place for the rest of the war. The U.S. Army Air Force - the precursor to the United States Air Force - held a large presence on Oahu and had multiple facilities on the island, such as Wheeler Army Airfield and Bellows Field. Servicemen and their families arrived from the mainland and quickly populated Oahu. This domination of military life severely altered the culture and everyday lives of Hawaiians and other island residents for decades to come.

Scope and Content

Content warning: Sexist and offensive language.

Photograph album made by a U.S. serviceman, most likely in the U.S. Army Air Force, that mostly shows locations in Oahu, Hawaii. The photographs date from 1942-1945, with the majority being taken between 1942 - 1943. The photos depict training at airfields on Oahu, including Wheeler Field and Bellows Field, as well as scenes of civilian life in Honolulu and Hilo, Hawaii, and San Francisco and San Diego, California.

Most of the photographs have written commentary from the creator - who is himself depicted in some pictures, as is his wife Kathleen - which is often sexist and offensive in nature. Some of the photographs do not have written commentary. There are a number of photos missing from the album.

There are three loose photos at the beginning of the album, including a copy of a letter by Lieutenant Glenn E. Swing, who according to the American Air Museum in Britain, was killed in action in Berlin in 1944.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Daniel Monson World War II aviation collection.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library holds multiple collections pertaining to life in Hawaii during World War II.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Photography
• United States -- Armed Forces -- Military life
• World War, 1939-1945