Archival Collections

This deaccessioned Collier County Museum, Naples, FL World War II collection includes four separate collections.  The first collection relates to Technician Fourth Grade Sergeant Dale E. Hortin who served with the 210th Field Artillery Battalion, 33rd Infantry Division,  in the Pacific Theater, which includes photographs, documents, foreign currency, and German stamps. The second collection includes U.S. ration booklets and ration documents. The third collection relates to Sheila Pritchard who served as an American Red Cross Nurse's Aide, which includes Red Cross documents and patches. The fourth collection relates to Corporal Frank Taylor who served in the Pacific Theater and includes postcards, Japanese occupation currency, and a vellum Domain of Neptune Rex certificate.

This collection relates to Major Don Warner from his time i the 874th Airborne Aviation Engineers during World War II where he served as the Executive officer. The collection includes photographs (primarily of Camp Claiborne in Lousianna, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines), newsletters, a small collection of maps, along with various saved booklets and documents primarily from the Pacific Theater.

This collection contains the personal letters of Technical Sergeant Frederick Lawler to his wife, Marion, and daughter Mary Ann. Lawler served in the US Army Air Corps between June 1943 and April 1945, first as an instructor of demolitions and then later as an aircraft mechanic. Lawler served in the Pacific Theater during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippine Islands.

This collection relates to Henry H. Marsh who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1940 and served with the 1st Marine Division, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, in the Pacific on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Oro Bay, New Guinea, Cape Gloucester, New Britain, and the Russell Island Group. The collection contains military records, a letter, ephemera, artifacts and a book.

This photograph scrapbook assembled by U.S. Navy sailor Herbert J. Thurber, Jr. photographically records landing craft LST 558 and crew throughout its journey during World War II. LST 558 made stops throughout the Philippine Islands, New Guinea, Japan, and the Pacific Theatre. The cities visited were Linguyan Bay, Hollandia, Subic Bay, Lake Sentai, Pohy Wog, Sapporo, Yokosuka, Saipan, Aomori Honshu, Otaru, and Tokyo.

This collection pertains to Laura Mae Jackson DuFore who served with the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II. The collection contains four letters that she wrote to her sister and family while she was overseas, two letters from friends, a collection of black and white photographs mainly from New Guinea and the Philippines, foreign currency, various military documents, artwork created by DuFore, a metal bracelet with the name "Laura" etched in, a cigarette lighter made from a .50 caliber round, a Japanese fan, a Japanese cigarette, an Enlisted Infantry collar pin, photocopies of two scrapbooks, and various newsletters from air fields, ships, or other posts. The collection also contains a copy of DuFore's autobiography A Life So Full.

This collection relates to Lois S. Lee who served in the Women's Army Corps in the Far East Air Forces WAC Detachment in New Guinea and the Philippine Islands during World War II. The collection contains documents, photographs, unit history book, ephemera, and a bomber crew insulated flight suit.

This collection relates to Technician 5th Grade Norman Conway Benson who served with Company A, 1st Battalion, General Headquarters, United States Army Forces Pacific during World War II. The collection includes the contents of two scrapbooks, letters, government and identification information, and additional photographs during Norman Conway Benson's time serving the Army in the Philippines in 1944 and 1946. The letters and photographs originate from Norman Conway Benson's family, friends, and wartime girlfriend, Barbara Louise Howard. Photographs in the collection include family, friends, and Benson's time spent in the Philippines, Leyte, Luzon, Hollandia, New Guinea, and Canada. Additional identification information of Benson's mother, Lillian Benson is included in the collection.

This collection pertains to Oliver "Bud" Anderson who served as a Ship Fitter Second Class aboard the USS Clifton (IX-184) during World War II. The collection contains letters Anderson sent to his mother, father, and brother Nolan while stationed in various locations in the United States, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. Anderson's letters discuss mail, his high school sweetheart, Indigenous peoples, weather, entertainment, a furlough, rationing, and training. His government documents, several menus, and reflections from 2000 on his war experiences are also included. The collection also includes letters Anderson's brother-in-law, Boyd "Gene" Paradis, sent to his mother-in-law (Anderson's mother). Paradis was a decorated sergeant in the 158th Regimental Combat Team (the Bushmasters).

The Patricia Gaffney-Kindig collection contains two hundred scanned photograph copies of American servicemen during World War II who were killed in action as well as an accompanying photograph of their American orphan children and some include their wife. Most of the children grew up never knowing their father who was killed or missing in the line of duty. Information provided for each serviceman includes name, rank, branch of service, and killed in action (KIA) or missing in action (MIA).