Bill's World War II Aviation Scrapbook (MS-678)

The collection consists of a single scrapbook (13.5” x 10.75” x 2”) with a wooden cover depicting a man with a sombrero and donkey and the words “Scraps Snaps.” It contains photographs fastened with adhesive corners and clippings pasted directly to the pages. All items are in good condition.

On odd-numbered pages 1-27, the scrapbook contains approximately 62 original photographs. Photographs of the the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School in Lincoln, Nebraska, from October 1939 to February 1940, feature building exteriors, Stearman trainers, as well as views around Lincoln. Photographs of Hagerstown, Maryland, from April to June 1940, feature the Hagerstown Airport and the Fairchild factory. Next are photographs of a Curtiss and Bell exhibit in November 1940, showing many aircraft on display. There are multiple pages of photographs from the Niagara Falls area in March 1941, including the American and Canadian Falls and bridges, as well as nearby Kenmore and Lockport, New York. (One photo depicts “Mrs. Lorenz’s house” on W. Hazeltine Avenue in Kenmore; this may have been where Bill and a friend, Frazier, were staying at the time.) The last page of photographs is titled “Dayton, Ohio,” and includes photos of Huffman Dam and “Wright Hill,” suggesting that Bill may have spent time at nearby Wright Field in the 1940s.

Even-numbered pages feature images clipped from publications. The early pages show students and instructors from the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School. Later pages feature aircraft from The Philadelphia Inquirer's U.S. Warplane Series (Nos. 7-24), including an airplane image, title, and brief description.