A lovely and very extensive grouping of original paperwork and documents, as well as over 180 photographs. The group belongs to Ralph R Auten of North Carolina, who served as an armourer with the 850th Bombardment Squadron, part of the 490th Bomb Group which flew out of RAF Eye in Suffolk. He served in England between October 1943 and December 1945.
Grouping comprises;
- Medal bar of EAME with two Campaign Stars (one silver, one bronze - denoting six in total), and Good Conduct Medal, a DUC and for some reason, a 3rd Army patch.
- A number of reprinted A4 size photographs, one being original and looks like it may be reunion photograph, probably 1950s.
- "Around the Marble Arch" booklet, purchased on leave in London.
- A subway map of Paris.
- A flyer for the Allied Expeditionary Force Club.
- Qualification, enlistment and discharge documentation, all original as well as a number of other RESTRICTED marked papers.
- A number of weekend passes, including from Paris.
- The absolute jewel of the grouping though, is the photo collection, comprising around 180 photographs, mostly around 3"x4" in size. A few duplicates but most are unique. Some post war holiday snaps and pre-deployment training but the majority are taken on-base. Show barracks blocks, aircraft (B-17, B-24 and P-51s), some local scenery, technical sites and group photos. Some taken on leave, one clearly in Trafalgar Square, feeding the pigeons with three British soldiers.
The post war photographs show Ralph's wife and young family. Ralph sadly passed away in February 1962.