World War II life in Hawaii and the Pacific, as recorded in a collection of 129 postcards showing scenes in the Hawaiian Islands, almost all with manuscript messages from Chambers to members of his family concerning his activities in World War II and life in Hawaii and elsewhere in the Pacific theater, generally writing a single letter using several cards sequentially (such groups presumably then mailed together in envelopes, not present here; approximately 7500 words in total).
Various places in the Pacific, 1943-1945. 129 postcards (including a few duplicates), almost all 3 1/2 x 5 3/8 inches, including 83 black-and-white real photo postcards, 41 color real photo postcards, and four color illustrated postcards, picturing scenes of native life in Hawaii, surfers, a luau, hula dancers, pineapple fields and other agricultural pursuits, native plants, public buildings, and island scenery, most with printed captions; included are 33 complete letters home (each letter on one to four postcards, totaling 83 cards and approximately 5000 words), five letters lacking the salutation card and two letters lacking the closing card (19 cards total, approximately 1000 words), 23 unmatched cards (8 salutations, 7 interior pages, 8 closings, approximately 1500 words), and two cards without messages, one with a return address only, and one to a family member from another soldier. Chambers, a corporal with Battery B, 811 Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Automatic Weapons Battalion, was from Madison, Indiana; he was stationed in the Pacific theater for three years, often recording his location, in his messages, as "somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean." At one point he mentions being short only ten points for discharge, saying the army would not give extra credit for his time on Canton Island (in the Phoenix Island chain between Hawaii and Fiji); along the way he mentions the heat, salt water, "night visitors" when the moon is too bright, baseball games between army and navy teams, with some big league players participating, the death of Ernie Pyle, etc. His misery comes through occasionally and longing for home, despite efforts to allay his family’s fears. A personalized view of the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific theater in World War II, combined with a pictorial record of the islands during that period. Some images rubbed or a bit faded, but a very good lot. (#6406). Item #58688
Price: $1,250.00