Basil Lee Rowe (1896-1973) enjoyed a long and successful career in aviation, initially as a military exhibition pilot, barnstormer, air racer, charter operator, flight instructor, aircraft salesman, and rumrunner, before moving to the West Indies to start an airline, the short-lived West Indian Aerial Express, bought out by Pan American Airways in 1928. Rowe became a pioneering senior pilot for Pan Am, flying with them for 28 years before his retirement in 1956. This collection includes scrapbooks, photo albums, memorabilia, and first day covers, in addition to the draft manuscript for Rowe's 1956 autobiography, Under My Wings.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of Rowe's pilot's log books covering his career from 1927 to 1956, assorted periodicals, cartoons featuring Rowe, scrapbooks and photo albums assembled by Rowe (featuring newspaper clippings, photographs, and ephemera), several draft manuscripts of Rowe's 1956 autobiography Under My Wings, and first day air mail postal covers collected by Rowe.
Arrangement:
Materials in this collection are grouped into series by format. See individual series Scope and Content notes for details on arrangement within that series. Note that with the exception of the chronologically arranged flight log books, Rowe did not appear to organize his materials in any particular order.
Biographical / Historical:
Basil Lee Rowe, born February 10, 1896, grew up in the small town of Shandaken, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. He began his flying career in 1914 as an apprentice to aviator Turk Adams after seeing Adams fly at a local county fair. Impatient to become a military pilot, Rowe arranged to join the Royal Canadian Air Force, but was sidelined by a ruptured appendix before he could get to Canada. By the time Rowe had recovered, the United States had entered World War I and Rowe was able to join the Aviation Section of the U. S. Army Signal Corps; he was sent to Texas. During the Third Liberty Loan drive, Rowe was assigned to a group of fliers who were to give exhibition flights; after his discharge, he used his savings to buy a used Avro biplane and barnstormed around the East Central United States, using Hadley Field (New Brunswick, New Jersey) as his home field. Rowe soon bought a second aircraft, hired pilot William S. "Bill" Wade, and moved his base of operations to the Aeromarine Base at Keyport, near Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Rowe prospered through the early 1920s, and his troupe the "Rowe Fliers" (including at various times wingwalkers Bill Stacy and Marguerite L. "Peggy" Roome) toured the eastern US giving exhibition flights and passenger rides. In the winter, Rowe moved his operation to Florida, and, with a rebuilt Curtiss Seagull, ferried passengers eager to escape Prohibition from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas--with a bit of rumrunning on the side. Back in New Jersey, Rowe formed the Chamberlin-Rowe Aircraft Corporation with fellow aviator Clarence Chamberlin to buy and resell Army surplus aircraft; the short-lived business went bust in 1924 when the government finished selling off its aircraft. Rowe, a talented racing pilot, kept busy from 1924 through 1926 on the racing circuit, winning numerous prizes.
By the end of 1926, at the age of thirty, Rowe felt that he had reached a turning point in his life. Dismayed by the increase in US government regulation of aviation, Rowe moved his operations to the West Indies, settling in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. With Bill Wade, Rowe rapidly established a business flying charters around the country, with flights to neighboring Haiti and Puerto Rico. In June 1927, with financial backing provided by sugar industry businessmen and the government of the Dominican Republic, Rowe founded West Indian Aerial Express (abbreviated variously as WIAE or WIAX) to provide airline service between Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, hoping to be well positioned to bid on future US foreign air mail routes. With this in mind, Rowe returned to the Unites States and purchased a Fairchild FC-2W floatplane (christened "La Niña") and a larger Keystone K-47 Pathfinder trimotor (the former "American Legion," r/n NX179, rebuilt by the Keystone factory following a crash in April 1927 and rechristened as "Santa Maria"). To his dismay, Rowe was forced to acquired a US transport pilot license in order to be allowed to fly the "Santa Maria" back to Santo Domingo; he hired Canadian pilot Cy Caldwell to ferry "La Niña." On the way south in mid October 1927, Rowe found himself and his two aircraft in Florida just as Pan American Airways (PAA), which had been successful in obtaining a temporary contract to deliver mail from the US to Cuba, found itself without any aircraft able to fly out of their Key West, Florida, field to fulfill the contract before it expired. PAA struck a deal with Rowe to lease "La Niña" (piloted by Caldwell) to fly the first Pan American Airways flight on October 19, 1927.
With its two new aircraft, West Indian Aerial Express started regularly scheduled twice-weekly flights on December 1, 1927, between Cuba, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and Puerto Rico, later extending the routes to St. Thomas and St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. On June 30, 1928, WIAX filed a bid with the US government for air mail service on the route from Key West to Puerto Rico, but was outmanuevered by the more politically-savvy Pan American Airways which won the contract. A final crippling blow was dealt to WIAX in September 1928 when a severe hurricane hit their base in San Juan, Puerto Rico, destroying "La Niña" and two older Waco biplanes. Rowe made his last flight in the "Santa Maria" on September 20, 1928, before turning the aircraft over to Pan American. On October 16, 1928, PAA purchased WIAX, with Rowe becoming PAA's senior pilot.
During his first ten years with Pan Am, Rowe flew a record number of hours and surveyed most of the new air routes through the Caribbean to Central and South America, several times flying with Charles Lindbergh. When the US entered World War II, Rowe was assigned to Pan Am's Africa and Orient Division to serve with the US Army Air Forces Air Transport Command on their supply route across the South Atlantic and Africa to India and China (the "Cannonball Run"). His wife, Florence May Sharp, whom Rowe had married in 1930, served as an aircraft spotter during the war. During the Korean Conflict, Rowe was once again pressed into service, and was transferred to Pan Am's Pacific Division to fly transpacific supply routes and medical evacuation flights. May's early death in 1943 left Rowe a widower at his retirement from Pan Am in 1956. At their Coral Gables, Florida, home he wrote his autobiography, Under My Wings (The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., New York, 1956) and remained active as a tennis instructor until his death on October 28, 1973.
Related Materials:
See related collection Basil Lee Rowe First Day Air Mail Covers, NASM.XXXX.0487.
Basil Lee Rowe air racing medals in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection:
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [Winner, Relay Race], A19690242000.
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [Winner, Relay Race], A19690243000.
Medal, Aviation [Dayton Air Race], A19690244000.
Medal, Third Annual Dayton Air Race Winner, A19690245000.
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [2nd Place, Free-For-All Race, 510 cu. in. Class], A19690246000.
Medal, 1926 National Air Races [Winner, First Elimination, 500 cu. in. Class], A19690247000.
Basil Lee Rowe air racing trophies in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection:
Trophy, Allen W. Hinkle, Basil L. Rowe, A19690238000 [Allen W. Hinkle Trophy for Two, Three, and Four Place Airplanes, 1924]
Trophy, Glenn H. Curtiss, Basil L. Rowe, A19690239000 [The Glenn H. Curtiss Trophy for Two Seater Low Horsepower Airplane, National Air Races, Mitchel Field L. I., 1925]
Plaque, B.B.T. Corporation, National Air Races 1926, A19690240000 [B.B.T. Corporation of America Relay Race for Commercial Planes won by Basil L. Rowe, Charles S. Jones, A. H. Kreider]
Plaque, 1926 National Air Races, Benjamin Franklin Trophy, A19690241000 [Benjamin Franklin Trophy donated by Joseph A. Steinmetz, Relay Race for Commercial Planes won by Basil L. Rowe, Charles S. Jones, A. H. Kreider]
Provenance:
Basil Lee Rowe, gift, 1969; United States Air Force Museum, transfer, 1973; NASM.XXXX.0019
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of three oversized certificates presented to William Thaw, 1918 – 1919.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following three oversized certificates: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, presented to Lieutenant Colonel William Thaw on April 9, 1919; Distinguished Service Cross, presented to Colonel William Thaw on October 16, 1918; and United States Citation to Colonel William Thaw, on April 19, 1919.
Arrangement:
No order, only three certificates.
Biographical / Historical:
William Thaw II (1893 – 1934) was a World War I ace and is believed to be the first American to engage in aerial combat in the war as one of the original nine members of the Lafayette Escadrille. Born into a prominent Pittsburgh family, Thaw attended Yale University but left to learn to fly at the Curtiss School of Aviation at Hammondsport, New York, in 1913. Soon after he was the first to pilot an aircraft up New York City's East River and fly underneath all four bridges. By the summer of 1914, Thaw was in Paris, along with his personal Curtiss Motel E Hydro, and had received the Aero Club of France F.A.I. Hydro License 2. When war started, Thaw joined the French Foreign Legion and by December he was transferred to the French aviation unit, first as an observer, then as an active pilot. In May of 1916 Thaw was commissioned as first lieutenant and shortly after he was shot in the arm during combat. After his recovery, he resumed active duty and in November he was transferred to the American Air Service and commissioned a major. In January 1918 Thaw was given command of the American Lafayette Escadrille, 103rd Pursuit Squadron and in August he was given command of the 3rd Pursuit Group and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. After the war, he returned stateside and from January to June 1919 he was the commanding officer at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California. He was honorably discharged in July of 1919. During his service he received many honors and decorations.
Provenance:
Found in Collecton, Transferred from the NASM Aeronautics Department, 2022, NASM.2023.0009
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
The Signal Corps and Air Service. a study of their expansion in the United States, 1917-1918 / prepared in the Historical Section, the Army War College, July, 1922
Nathan Blumberg (1897--1982) served with the US Army Air Service, 27th Aero Squadron, during World War I. This collection consists of a scrapbook compiled by Blumberg which mainly documents the activities of his unit during the war.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a scrapbook compiled by Nathan Blumberg which mainly documents the activities of the 27th Aero Squadron during World War I. Photographs in the scrapbook include images of members of the squadron; graves of some of the pilots killed in action; aircraft including the SPAD XIII (S.13), Dorand Type A.R.2 A2, Nieuport 28 C18, and the de Havilland (Airco) D.H.4; and views of various locations in France. The images are captioned by Blumberg. The scrapbook also includes some military records, poems, news clippings, and photographs and memorabilia from the squadron's reunions in 1966 and 1973. A number of news clippings in the scrapbook relate to Frank Luke, Jr., a pilot from the 27th Aero Squadron who was killed in action during World War I and was awarded the Medal of Honor. The scrapbook also contains some clippings about Edward Vernon "Eddie" Rickenbacker and some of Blumberg's enlistment records from World War II.
Arrangement:
The scrapbook in this collection is in original order. The collection also contains some loose items which are housed separately.
Biographical / Historical:
Nathan Blumberg (1897--1982) enlisted in the US Army Air Service at Fort Slocum, New York on November 27, 1917 and was initially attached to the 233rd Aero Squadron before being transferred to the 659th Aero Squadron in December 1917. In February 1918, Blumberg was attached to the 27th Aero Squadron and remained with that unit, serving in France from February 1918 until March 1919 when he was honorably discharged at the rank of corporal. Blumberg re-enlisted in the US Army Air Forces in October 1942 and served during World War II as a warrant officer.
Provenance:
Leonore B. Sheldon, Gift, 1991, NASM.1991.0028
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Main Image: silhouettes of various types of British and German aircraft.
Local numbers:
Princeton Poster# 825
Printing Info:
Printer: Sir Joseph Causton & Sons, Limited, London, 1915
Other Printing Info: [Printed for sale at bookstores & NYMAN & SONS]
Related Materials:
Duplicates: 4503, 825
Condition differs: Yes
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Copyright status of items varies. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Princeton University Posters Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
Digitization of the Princeton University Poster Collection was a collaboration of Google Arts and Culture and the Smithsonian Institution's Digitization Program Office. Catalog records were transcribed by digital volunteers through the Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center.
Main Image: Man looking into the air with the mobile anti-aircraft gun next to him fires. Seaplane dropping bombs and the Brooklyn Bridge are in background
Local numbers:
Princeton Poster# 6837
General:
Issued by: Veteran Corps of Artillery
Artist(s): Anon
Locale:
New York
Printing Info:
Printer: Eagle Job Printing Dept, New York
Other Printing Info: Allied Printing Union Label
Trades Council 333
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Copyright status of items varies. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Posters -- United States Search this
Genre/Form:
Posters
Posters -- World War, 1914-1918 -- United States
Collection Citation:
Princeton University Posters Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
Digitization of the Princeton University Poster Collection was a collaboration of Google Arts and Culture and the Smithsonian Institution's Digitization Program Office. Catalog records were transcribed by digital volunteers through the Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center.
George Miller Dyott (1883--1972) was an early aviator; veteran of the Royal Naval Air Service; aircraft designer; and explorer. This collection contains approximately 1 cubic foot of material pertaining to Dyott's aviation career including correspondence; photographs; financial records; technical drawings; military records; news clippings; a World War I field diary; calling cards; and an annotated manuscript entitled, "Flying," written by Dyott.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains approximately 1 cubic foot of material pertaining to George Miller Dyott's aviation career including correspondence; photographs; financial records; technical drawings; military records; news clippings; a World War I field diary; calling cards; and an annotated manuscript entitled, "Flying," written by Dyott. Photographic formats include black and white prints of various sizes (some of which are mounted on cardstock or matted) and 5 by 7 inch glass plates. Many of the photographs, including one entire album, are devoted to Dyott's service with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during World War I. Aircraft pictured in the photographs include the Dyott Monoplane; Dyott Bomber; Walden IV 1910 Monoplane (identfied here as the Walden-Dyott Monoplane); an unidentfied model of Deperdussin; Nieuport 17; Vickers (UK) E.F.B.5 Gunbus; a Sopwith Baby fitted with Le Prieur Rockets; Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2; Handley Page O/400; Morane-Saulnier Type L (Mo.S.3); Blériot XI; Farman (Henry) H.F.20 (Type Militaire Biplane); and a later photo of a Bellanca Pacemaker CH-300. There are also photographs of a Royal Navy non-rigid airship and the wreck of the Zeppelin LZ 76 (Navy L 33), as well as early equipment such as searchlights; anti-aircraft guns; an anti-aircraft armored vehicle; and various types of bombs. In addition to Dyott, other well-known people in the photographs include Henry W. Walden; Patrick Hamilton; Francisco Madero (33rd President of Mexico); Arthur W. Bigsworth; and Reginald A. J. Warneford. There are also four technical drawings dating to 1914 in the collection ranging in size from approximately 24.25 by 15.5 inches up to 41 x 14 inches. Three of the drawings are on coated cloth and one is on waxed paper. Two are for a small promotional aircraft made from an ale bottle and powered by an 80-hp Gnome engine, one is marked "Worthington Ales" and the other is marked "Little Peter." The third drawing is a three-view of a "Hydro-Aeroplane for Tropical Rivers" powered by two 100-hp Mercedes engines, and the fourth is a side drawing of an unspecified type of biplane (undated). In addition to the drawings, there is a graph on waxed paper (14.5 by 13.25 inches) tracking altitude, time, and speed for an unknown aircraft (undated). The collection also includes records relating to the design and production of the Dyott Monoplane and Dyott Bomber.
Arrangement:
Some of the material in this collection arrived grouped together in folders or envelopes. This material was housed accordingly and original folder titles were kept where applicable. The rest of the collection is organized by type of material. Folder titles created by archivist, or additional information added to original folder titles by archivist, are in brackets. Within folders, material is arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
George Miller Dyott (1883--1972) was an early aviator; veteran of the Royal Naval Air Service; aircraft designer; and explorer. Dyott was born in New York in 1883 to an American mother and a British father. Dyott was educated in the United Kingdom before returning to the United States where he learned to fly at Curtiss Field in New York. Dyott was awarded Royal Aero Club aviator's certificate 114 in August of 1911. Around this time, Dyott partnered with Henry W. Walden designing monoplanes. In the autumn of 1911, Dyott and Patrick Hamilton began making a tour of exhibition flights with two Deperdussin monoplanes (one single and one double seater) which started in New York and included stops in the Bahamas and Mexico, where they carried then-President Francisco Madero as a passenger. Dyott then returned to the United Kingdom where he designed the Dyott Monoplane, manufactured by Hewlett & Blondeau, which he brought to the United States to fly a six month demonstration tour beginning in April 1913. Dyott entered military service in 1914 and served as a squadron commander for the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. Around this time, Dyott designed a large twin-engine biplane for use in exploring. The Royal Naval Air Service saw a potential in this design for military use so Dyott made some modifications and two prototypes were ordered from Hewlett & Blondeau in 1916. The two Dyott Bomber prototypes were built and flight tested with various engines and armament, with the second being service tested in France, but the model never entered production. After World War I, Dyott became an explorer and joined the Royal Geographical Society. In 1927, Dyott was hired to lead an expedition retracing the steps of the Roosevelt–Rondon Scientific Expedition which confirmed Theodore Roosevelt's claims about the group's discovery and exploration of the Rio Roosevelt ("River of Doubt"). In 1928, Dyott led an expedition into Brazil searching for missing explorer Percy Fawcett. Dyott also founded Dyott & Company, Ltd. in Lima, Peru taking aerial photographs and other scenic views that were sold as post cards. Dyott wrote several books about his adventures (one of which was adapted into a feature film, Manhunt in the Jungle, in 1958), and also starred as himself in two documentary films (Hunting Tigers in India in 1929 and Savage Gold, which he also co-wrote, in 1933). In the mid-1930s, Dyott retired to Ecuador where he lived largely in isolation. He conducted two expeditions searching for Inca treasure in the late 1940s before returning to Ecuador where he stayed until returning to New York to reunite with his wife and children shortly before his death.
Provenance:
Michael Dyott, Gift, 2016, NASM.2016.0019.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
John Guy Gilpatric (1896-1950) was one of America's earliest aviators. Although not officially an Early Bird, he first learned to fly in 1912 at the age of sixteen. That same year he gained notoriety by setting a new American record when he reached an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet with a passenger on board. During his teenage years, Gilpatric gave flying lessons and flew in air exhibitions, eventually becoming employed as a test-pilot. He later worked as an aviation instructor in Toronto, Canada, teaching the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Following the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, Gilpatric enlisted in the Army Air Service as a First Lieutenant, where he was stationed overseas as Engineering Officer, First Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). The collection contains four scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, licenses and identity cards, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and periodicals, which chronicle his aviation career and military service.
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains four scrapbooks, photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and periodicals. The collection also includes Gilpatric's Aero Club of American issued pilot license and his American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) identity and pilot identity card. Correspondence includes three letters from Glenn H. Curtiss and Jimmy Doolittle. The scrapbooks contain photographs, clippings and ephemera, including the follow subjects: Gilpatric's early aviation career as both an aviator and an instructor with the Moisant Flying School, Sloane Aviation School, the Royal Canadian air cadets; early aircraft such as the Sloane Flying Boat, the Nieuport 27, Curtiss JN-2, as well as Wright, Bleriot, Farman, and Deperdussin aircraft; and early aviators Charles Niles; DeLloyd Thompson; Art Smith; Bert Acosta; Claude Grahame-White; George W. Beatty; William Knox Martin; George M. Dyott; John E. Sloane; and Robert Y. Hoshino, a Japanese aviator. One scrapbook focuses on Gilpatric's service in the AEF in World War I with photographs of zeppelins, soldiers and aviators, aerial reconnaissance photography, destroyed villages, and graves. Photographs found in the videodisc prints are most likely copied from the scrapbooks or smaller images that had been removed from albums.
Note: Where indicated, the digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement:
Materials were arranged by physical location.
Biographical / Historical:
John Guy Gilpatric (1896-1950) was one of America's earliest aviators. Although not officially an Early Bird, he first learned to fly in 1912 at the age of sixteen. That same year he gained notoriety by setting a new American record when he reached an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet with a passenger on board. During his teenage years, Gilpatric gave flying lessons and flew in air exhibitions, eventually becoming employed as a test-pilot. He later worked as an aviation instructor in Toronto, Canada, teaching the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Following the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, Gilpatric enlisted in the Army Air Service as a First Lieutenant, where he was stationed overseas as Engineering Officer, First Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). Upon returning to the United States in 1919, he left the world of aviation behind and worked in advertising. Gilpatric is probably best known, however, for his subsequent career as a writer, during which time he wrote the Saturday Evening Post series, "Colin Glencannon," among numerous other books and articles.
Provenance:
Unknown, gift, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0220
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection provides extensive documentation on the flying career of Paul R. Stockton from his entry into the New York Air National Guard through his service in France and Germany and eventual discharge in 1919. Included in this collection is documentation of the activies, personnel and equipment of Stockton's squadron, as well as are excellent aerial photographs of airplanes and before and after photographs of target areas. Many of the photographs show Marie, the Belgian police dog Stockton raised during the war. (Marie later appeared in motion pictures with Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and others). One image is purportedly from one of the aircraft of Baron von Richtofen's "Flying Circus." Also included in this scrapbook are certificates of Stockton's appointments to corporal and to 1st lieutenant, hotel menus, copies of leaflets dropped by US aviators behind the German lines, examples of European currency, train and bus tickets, fabric swatches from aircraft, Stockton's pilot license and other such ephemera.
Biographical / Historical:
Paul R. Stockton (1880-1962) enlisted in the Signal Corps from 1906-1909 and served in Cuba and Puerto Rico. He made his first flight in 1916 as a member of the First Aero Company, New York State National Guard at Mineola, New York. In 1917 Stockton was ordered overseas and served as the Commanding Officer of the 12th Aero Squadron of the American Expeditionary Forces. Stockton was discharged in 1919, and was later a member of the Early Birds.
Provenance:
No donor information, gift, unknown, XXXX-0283, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations Search this
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, and a photograph album documenting James Rogers McConnell's life, especially his World War I service in the Lafayette Escadrille. This collection contains material pertaining to both McConnell's service as well as the service of his fellow Lafayette Escadrille members, including Kiffin Rockwell, Victor Chapman, and Raoul Lufbery. The correspondence includes letters from McConnell to his family and friends, as well as condolence letters from McConnell's friends to his family after his death. The photographs include images of McConnell, his friends--both ambulance drivers and pilots, aircraft, his grave, his crypt in the Lafayette Memorial, and also his memorial in Carthage, North Carolina. The newspaper articles include ones written by McConnell about his war service.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
James Rogers McConnell (1887-1917) was a member of the Lafayette Escadrille. Born in Chicago, McConnell attended two years of schooling at the University of Virginia before leaving the law school in 1910 to join his family in Carthage, North Carolina. There, he served as a land and industrial agent of the Seaboard Airline Railway and as secretary of the Carthage Board of Trade. After war broke out in Europe, McConnell arrived in France to enlist with the American Ambulance Corps. McConnell withdrew from the Ambulance Corps and entered the aviation training program, becoming one of the first members of the Lafayette Escadrille. McConnell first flight was on May 13, 1916, in which he flew a Nieuport biplane. McConnell was shot down and killed on March 19, 1917 above the Somme Battlefields. He was the author of the book Flying for France.
Provenance:
James M. Truitt, gift, 1963, NASM.XXXX.0232
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
In August 1914, Paul Ayres Rockwell (b.1889) and his brother, Kiffin Yates Rockwell, Americans of French extraction, volunteered to fight for France in the coming war (World War I). The photographs in this collection were (with very few exceptions) taken by Paul Rockwell from 1914 to 1918. Further information can be found in Paul Ayres Rockwell's book, American Fighters in the Foreign Legion 1914-1918 (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1930) [SIL Catalog No. D548.35 R6X NASM].
Biographical / Historical:
The Rockwells were assigned to Battalion C, 2nd Marching Regiment, of the Second Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. First stationed near Toulouse, France, on October 2, 1914, they arrived at Camp de Mailly, and soon saw action in trenches near Craonelle. Photos show the Americans both in the trenches and relaxing behind the lines. Paul Rockwell was wounded in Winter 1914-1915; after a long hospital stay he was invalided out of the Legion but "...remained in France to be near his brother, and engaged in French propaganda work." (Rockwell, p. 58). In April 1915, Kiffin Rockwell transferred to the First Foreign Regiment, joining the American Squad in Company 2, Battalion B. On September 2, 1915, he transferred to the French Aviation Service. On April 16, 1916 the Escadrille de Chasse Nieuport 124 (l'Escadrille Americaine), known as the "Lafayette Escadrille"; it was composed of American volunteer aviators under the command of French officers. The Escadrille's first victory was scored by Kiffin Rockwell on May 18, 1916. Photos from this period center around the activities of the Escadrille, predominantly depicting pilots and off-duty scenes, but including a number of aircraft photos. On September 23, 1916, Kiffin was shot down near Rodern, Alsace, and killed. Paul Rockwell continued to photograph the Escadrille through 1917; the few photos from (late) 1918 are of grave sites.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Paul Ayres Rockwell, unknown, unknown, XXXX-0609, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations Search this
