The King of the Tattooists at Work

View of a United States Army soldier having an insignia tattooed on his forearm by the celebrated tattooist George Burchett (1872-1953) at his studio on Waterloo Road, London, in February 1943.

George Burchett (born August 23, 1872 in Brighton as George Burchett Davis, † April 3, 1953) was one of the most famous tattoo artists of the turn of the century; he was also referred to as the King of the Tattooists.

Burchett was born George Burchett-Davis on 23 August 1872 in the English seaside town of Brighton, East Sussex. He was expelled from school at age 12 for tattooing his classmates and joined the Royal Navy at age 13. (Boys as young as that age could enlist in those days.) He developed his tattooing skills while travelling overseas as a deckhand on HMS Vincent. After absconding from the Navy, he returned to England.

With studios on Mile End Road and at 72 Waterloo Road, London, Burchett became the first star tattooist and a favourite among the wealthy upper class and European royalty. Among his customers were King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King Frederick IX of Denmark, and performer Horace "The Great Omi" Ridler. Though it was reputed that he tattooed the "Sailor King" George V of the United Kingdom, there is no reliable evidence to attest to this actually being the case.

He constantly designed new tattoos from his worldwide travel, incorporating African, Japanese and Southeast Asian motifs into his work. In the 1930s, he developed cosmetic tattooing with such techniques as permanently darkening eyebrows.

He continued tattooing until his sudden death on Good Friday in 1953 at the age of 80. A purported autobiography, Memoirs of a Tattooist, edited by Peter Leighton (a pseudonym of writer Edward Spiro, also known as EH Cookridge), was published in 1958 by Oldbourne Book Company, five years after Burchett's death. This work included photographs illustrating some of Burchett's tattoo designs. Recent research has revealed that, despite the claims made in the foreword, the text was not actually compiled and edited from Burchett's own notes, but cribbed quickly from newspaper articles made shortly after Burchett's death.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Burchett
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=489389408996555&set=gm.1738158566369559

Bio of Lieutenant-General Sir Wilfrid Lindsell

 

Lieutenant General Sir Wilfrid Gordon Lindsell (1884-1973) in a posed portrait at his desk, England, October 1945.

Sir Wilfrid Gordon Lindsell, GBE, KCB, DSO, MC (born September 29, 1884 in Portsmouth; † May 2, 1973) was a British Lieutenant General in the British Army, who was last among other things Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery between 1945 and 1950.

He was promoted to major-general in command of Administration for Southern Command, 1938-1939 and was appointed the quartermaster-general on mobilisation of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium, 1939-1940, until the evacuation from Dunkirk. After Dunkirk he became quartermaster-general of Home Forces and set about re-building the army from Kneller Hall in Twickenham. After a year he became senior military advisor to the Ministry of Supply under Sir Andrew Duncan and Lord Beaverbrook. In less than a year the army had thirteen fully equipped and trained divisions to repel a German invasion. In 1942 he became one of General Montgomery's team to revitalise the Eighth Army as lieutenant-general in charge of administration in GHQ Middle East. In a broadcast concerning the capture of Tripoli the British Secretary for War, Sir P.J. Grigg, said that much of the credit for the Eighth Army's phenomenal advance was due to the quartermaster-general's staff under Lt General Sir Wilfrid Lindsell. During the Second World War he was mentioned in dispatches on three more occasions.

At the end of 1943 he moved east to become principal administrative officer in GHQ India prepared General Slim's Fourteenth Army to attack the Japanese in Burma. Here he played the most significant role in mobilising Indian resources, establishing production capabilities and building the foundations for the Indian defence industry. After returning from India he was attached to the Board of Trade to co-ordinate the clearing of factories for peacetime production.

He retired from the army in December 1945. He was awarded the Legion of Merit honour by the American government with Degree of Commander on 17 October 1946.

He became governor and commandant of the Church Lads' Brigade (1948-1954) and was a Church Commissioner (1948-1959). From 1946 to 1955 he was chairman of the board of Ely Breweries. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Aberdeen University.

He married Marjorie Ellis (died 1957) (OBE 1946). They had two daughters and a son who died in infancy. In 1958 he married Evelyn Nairn (died 1982). He died in London on 2 May 1973.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1738720009646748/?__cft__[0]=AZUQQ80fw82m5Uofxhcu0iwNo0txZS_lZu8g2lnTxPIBl63nV4bsl0icsVv0iSJ9ClX2-EgMJpfrQCTJEAo0GyX2Ey5IrFeHb88w8r03WTrwWn-JY1TJ2FidySjpNYxLeEEd_1ZIPwkPr3IinVPC2FM4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Bio of General Hastings Ismay

 

Portrait of General Hastings Ismay (1887-1965), Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, pictured wearing military uniform in London in December 1944.

General Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay KG, GCB, CH, DSO, PC, DL (21 June 1887 - 17 December 1965), was a British Indian Army officer and diplomat, remembered primarily for his role as Winston Churchill's chief military assistant during the Second World War and his service as the first Secretary General of NATO from 1952 to 1957.

Ismay was born in Nainital, India, in 1887, and educated in the United Kingdom at the Charterhouse School and Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After Sandhurst, he joined the Indian Army as an officer of the 21st Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry. During the First World War, he served with the Camel Corps in British Somaliland, where he joined in the British fight against the "Mad Mullah", Mohammed Abdullah Hassan. In 1925, Ismay became an Assistant Secretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence (CID). After being promoted to the rank of colonel, he served as the military secretary for Lord Willingdon, the Viceroy of India, then returned to the CID as Deputy Secretary in 1936.

On 1 August 1938, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Ismay became the Committee's Secretary and began planning for the impending war. In May 1940, when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he selected Ismay as his chief military assistant and staff officer. In that capacity, Ismay served as the principal link between Churchill and the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Ismay also accompanied Churchill to many of the Allied war conferences. For Ismay's advice and aid, "Churchill owed more, and admitted that he owed more" to him "than to anybody else, military or civilian, in the whole of the war."

After the end of the war, Ismay remained in the army for another year, and helped to reorganise the Ministry of Defence. He then retired from the military and served as Lord Mountbatten of Burma's Chief of Staff in India, helping to oversee its partition. From 1948 to 1951, he served as chairman of the council of the Festival of Britain, helping to organise and promote the event. Then, in 1951, when Churchill again became Prime Minister, he appointed Ismay Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. Ismay accepted the position, but resigned after only six months to become the first Secretary General of NATO in 1952. He served in this role until 1957, and helped establish and define the position. After retiring from NATO, Ismay wrote his memoirs, The Memoirs of General Lord Ismay, served on a variety of corporate boards, and co-chaired the Ismay–Jacob Committee, which reorganised the Ministry of Defence once again. He died on 17 December 1965, at his home, Wormington Grange, Gloucestershire.

 

 

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Ismay,_1st_Baron_Ismay?fbclid=IwAR3W4tue7f6HkE4cl6a8857dhtzo-5sG1o4-lIksRHiUONOQrpwBSYZpggA
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1738725519646197/?__cft__[0]=AZX0b2oyF5TiyPRGJPwkMt-iTmmo2EMvBJV1MIG1LaXEsBZNNZ2sfvIhl0BrJD1nxXwsNZWpOMVMT6NU8Uvf3eFGQgpzBF3FYUuLG9TE8CdP99LyGk9r7_K_KtKHXinmd6WbwGttYQk-iZ4EbCzif9Oo&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Bio of Lieutenant-General James M. Gavin

 

Studio portrait of General James M. Gavin, 1945. Photo by Harry Warnecke/NY Daily News Archive

James Maurice Gavin (March 22, 1907 - February 23, 1990), sometimes called "Jumpin' Jim" and "The Jumping General", was a senior United States Army officer, with the rank of lieutenant general, who was the third Commanding General (CG) of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II. During the war, he was often referred to as "The Jumping General" because of his practice of taking part in combat jumps with the paratroopers under his command; he was the only American general officer to make four combat jumps in the war.

Gavin was the youngest major general to command an American division in World War II, being only 37 upon promotion, and the youngest lieutenant general after the war, in March 1955. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses and several other decorations for his service in the war. During combat, he was known for his habit of carrying an M1 rifle, typically carried by enlisted U.S. infantry soldiers, instead of the M1 carbine, which officers customarily carried.

Gavin also worked against segregation in the U.S. Army, which gained him some notoriety. After the war, Gavin served asUnited States Ambassador to France from 1961 to 1962.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M._Gavin?fbclid=IwAR2jcYo0JUCq2p68ff_6ydZ-ELVIFuZcYIlSMu9yCkOQUWsKG1rzUmpDmmA
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=489903685611794&set=gm.1738739199644829

Wehrmacht Soldiers in Lithuania

Soldiers of the 126. Infanterie-Division of the Wehrmacht in Lithuania, June 1941. Photographer Günter Buss. During the opening of Operation Barbarossa, the division attacked the Soviet Union from the Memel area and advanced across the Baltic to Lake Ladoga in order to take up positions east of the Volkhov. At the end of 1941 the division was replaced by the Spanish Blue Division and moved west of the Volkhov. The reinforced Infanterie-Regiment 424, detached from the division for several months, meanwhile advanced to Lake Ilmen and was involved in the capture of the cities of Novgorod, Sinyavino, Schluesselburg and Lipki.

Source :
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/126._Infanterie-Division_(Wehrmacht)
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=305865577670315&set=gm.2842395736027653

Generalleutnant Fritz Benicke After Surrender

Generalleutnant Dr.rer.pol. Fritz Benicke (right, Kommandant Festung Oberschlessien) in Czechoslovakia, 8 May 1945. After the German surrender, German troops encounter U.S. troops as they retreated through Czechoslovakia (Bohemia) back to the south-east of Germany (Tannenbergsthal, Saxony).

Source :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSIk7yUHzrQ

U.S. Coast Guard Demonstrates Air-Sea Rescue with a Sikorsky HNS-1

 

Commander Frank Erickson, U.S. Coast Guard, demonstrates air-sea rescue with a Sikorsky HNS-1 helicopter operating from Floyd Bennett Field, 1944/45. The Sikorsky R-4 is a two-seat helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky with a single, three-bladed main rotor and powered by a radial engine. The R-4 was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter used by the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. In U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard service, the helicopter was known as the Sikorsky HNS-1. In British service it was known as the Hoverfly.

Source :
From the collection of the National Air and Space Museum Archives, XRA-1205
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_R-4
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

Sherman Tanks Set Fire to Japanese Aircraft

Marine flamethrowing Sherman tanks set fire to Japanese aircraft in Sasebo, Japan, on November 2, 1945. Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. The city which had 206,000 inhabitants in 1945 suffered severe damage by bombing on June 29, 1945 during World War II and was destroyed by 48%. Sasebo was one of the original 17 targets selected for the dropping of the atomic bomb. After the end of the war, part of the base facilities were taken over by the United States Navy, forming U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration 127-GW-137979
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasebo
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

U-Boat Crew Being Shaved

A German submariner has his beard shaved by a comrade on his way back from the Atlantic, 1941. Photos by Hanns Hubmann.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1727507854101297/?__cft__[0]=AZWkVzfyA7UORYs5S6DUCCQV7wvVxzmzzgclR-ffo1PVjtCJtgiPfJxJXVtomKzu63HqO6yrpar_g-grKRSKeVt4GfQuTEbJUoq4l5AaRCJK0hFJO7_kXHmnhWJQ0J6itllp2k4iGp_RJpOFO85fgU-txjyMvJfpTEp0ySkczseQpPLCDLxLXLcyKWxKM_Qp-6M&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Gebirgsjäger in the Elbrus Mountains

 

Gebirgsjäger in the Elbrus Mountains in the summer of 1942. In May 1942, 1. Gebirgs-Division fought in the Second Battle of Kharkov and then participated in the offensive through southern Russia and into the Caucasus (Operation Edelweiss). In a symbolic propaganda move, the division sent a detachment to raise the German flag on Mount Elbrus on 21 August. Although the feat was widely publicized by Goebbels, Hitler was furious over what he called "these crazy mountain climbers," his rage lasting for hours. However, by December 1942 with Soviet forces en-circling the 6th Army at Stalingrad, the 1st Mountain Division, as part of the 17th Army, was ordered to withdraw to the Kuban bridgehead.

Source :
Ullstein Bild
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Mountain_Division_(Wehrmacht)
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3969206339784863&set=gm.1728039760714773

Recently Liberated American POWs

In this May 1945 photograph taket at Mossburg, Germany, recently liberated American prisoners of war await transportation during their journey home. The boys borrowed this table for mess purposes after being freed. In the rear is a tent which housed two hundred of them. They are the ones that made it through alive. Without the Wehrmacht gear and grim wartime faces, they are just a bunch of blokes hanging out in the sun having their picture taken. Different story for most of them on the inside though... Notice the guy in 'civvies' (2nd from left) wearng a Wehrmacht Heer Schirmmütze (visor cap)!

Source :
US AIR FORCE photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4009850899101693&set=gm.1716596251859124

US Soldier Examine Huge Tanks at Dollbergen

A US soldier and Alex Barneknox, who worked at the refinery for two years as a slave laborer, examine huge tanks at Dollbergen, Germany.

Source :
US AIR FORCE photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4020239064729543&set=gm.1719141338271282

The USS Midway (CVB-41) Launching

The USS Midway (CVB-41) is launched on March 20, 1945, in Newport News, Virginia. Midway was laid down 27 October 1943 in Shipway 11 at Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Virginia; launched 20 March 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Bradford William Ripley, Jr.; and commissioned on 10 September 1945 (eight days after the Surrender of Japan) with Captain Joseph F. Bolger in command. Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a museum ship at the USS Midway Museum, in San Diego, California, and is the only remaining inactive U.S. aircraft carrier that is not an Essex-class aircraft carrier.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-K-3515
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

U.S. Marines Look Over Abandoned Japanese Kawasaki Ki-61

U.S. Marines on Okinawa look over an abandoned Japanese Kawasaki Ki-61 “Tony” on April 9, 1945. The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (飛燕, "flying swallow") is a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. The Japanese Army designation was "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機). Allied intelligence initially believed Ki-61s were Messerschmitt Bf 109s and later an Italian Macchi C.202, which led to the Allied reporting name of "Tony", assigned by the United States War Department. It was the only mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war to use a liquid-cooled inline V engine. Over 3,000 Ki-61s were produced. Initial prototypes saw action over Yokohama during the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942, and continued to fly combat missions throughout the war.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration 127-GW-119179
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Ki-61
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

German POWs by George Stevens (Pictures and Video)

Germany in 1945: Sensationally restored footage by George Stevens (screenshots)
May 1945 / German prisoners of war

These Sensationally restored original color film recordings of the US Army show various cities and locations in Germany after the surrender in May 1945. The pictures (mostly of German prisoners of war) were taken under the command of George Stevens, a director from Hollywood.

George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 - March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer. Among his most notable films are The More the Merrier (1943; Oscar nominated for Best Director), A Place in the Sun (1951; winner of six Academy Awards including Best Director), Shane (1953; Oscar nominated for Best Director), Giant (1956; Oscar for Best Director), and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959; nominated for Best Director).

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stevens?fbclid=IwAR3m_Fm9feaDyiH-lm21DDlpFzEAxmLgJP9CRUopHBrSsybOPe9mLhHiGyw
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1715047795347303/?__cft__[0]=AZWoKbPGPjIRjJLyg2knLjLsVsXZ0KdkVKI3BOxzwfJ9WiqiCrW4lSv9a6O5Y1ZoqLyzHCDt-oxrCX2087zs1hP4ixn7O7Ug-JrXx3Unkkw7qL6glBbBBwFEmmxnnq9XxWDjkEtu7XWWgxvC1Si09FWr8dEKGP6w96Dv46_XCIsqCPZz4Y-8PEgJRfUqnSO9uck&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwy8SzVmWGc

U.S. Navy JRF Goose over Alaska

 

A U.S. Navy Grumman JRF Goose amphibian in flight over mountains in Alaska (USA), winter 1942/43

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-K-5178
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/80-G-K-05000/80-G-K-5178.html

A Martin PBM-3R Receives Dual Navy and Pan American Airways Markings

 

In January 1943, a Martin PBM-3R receives dual Navy and Pan American Airways markings. Pan American operated Navy PBMs on regular transport runs between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor. Just to add to the story: a PBM 3R Mariner flown by PAA Captain Bill Moss rescued 48 survivors of the sinking of the Cape San Juan by a Japanese sub. This involved a dangerous open sea landing.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/panam.org/photos/10158682026890219
National Archives and Records Administration 80-G-K-1142
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

US Army Engineers Locating Land Mines

 

In Italy with US Army Engineers locating land mines, 1943. The conventional method of mine detection was developed in World War II and has changed little since then. It involves a metal detector, prodding instrument and tripwire feeler. Deminers clear an area of vegetation and then divide it into lanes. A deminer advances along a lane, swinging a metal detector close to the ground. When metal is detected, the deminer prods the object with a stick or stainless steel probe to determine whether it is a mine. If a mine is found, it must be deactivated. Although conventional demining is slow (5–150 square metres cleared per day), it is reliable, so it is still the most commonly used method. Integration with other methods such as explosive sniffing dogs can increase its reliability. Demining is a dangerous occupation. If a mine is prodded too hard or it is not detected, the deminer can suffer injury or death. The large number of false positives from metal detectors can make deminers tired and careless. According to one report, there is one such incident for every 1000–2000 mines cleared. 35 percent of the accidents occur during mine excavation and 24 percent result from missed mines.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demining
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237076659811098/permalink/1707581389427277/?__cft__[0]=AZUx0dYLNfqxBviinHiydaNq6YBrrH7rLoT_T_kFp1NWHcWqAhpbo8XqhNddJcBRH_aQ1QRu51v0wj1mxeGFlEnaqOCDTV88w6CBDGee8OxMpAuF4OGOj5t-0jrrkkU9OeL2WYWXwRQ2uYYCrHgIkAZ3h-z8dVjlUxIzU2tH7ut8BkSpPNyjdX6jnJLMormFW7M&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Pile of German Soldier's Helmet

 

A pile of helmets taken from the German Afrika Korps after their surrender at the Battle Of El Guettar, April 1943. Photo by Eliot Elisofon. Helmets were usually only retained until POW physically left the combat zone, most prisoners then discarded them and wore their field caps instead. This will have been a dumping point for helmets - note also that a lot of the unpopular pith helmets have been thrown away! Clothing, hats, medals,gear were frequently stolen by those who captured them. BTW, The Geneva convention dictate that POWs should be kept within 200 miles of the latitude they were captured in. Germans captured in North Africa were largely detained along Georgia, Texas, and Arizona corridor. The US was one of very few nations that actually followed this protocol!

source :
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=737488886913290&set=gm.1701943823324367
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/pile-of-soldiers-helmet-during-the-battle-of-el-guettar-news-photo/1187488265

Order of Kutuzov for General Ira C. Eaker

M. Alexander Bogomolov, Soviet Representative, Presents The 'Order Of Kutozov' 2nd Class, Russia'S Highest Military Award, To U.S. Army Lieutenant-General Ira C. Eaker In Italy. The Order of Kutuzov is a Soviet military decoration to reward senior officers of the Red Army or foeign allies for skillful avoidance of enemy attacks and successful counter attacks. The Order of Kutuzov was established in three classes: 1st class, 2nd class, and 3rd class. General Ivan Galanin who distinguished himself during the Battle of Stalingrad became the first recipient of the Order 1st class. During World War II, 669 Orders of Kutuzov 1st class were awarded. The Order 2nd class was awarded to 3,325 corps, division, and brigade commanders. The Order 3rd class was awarded to regimental commanders, their chiefs of staff, battalion and company commanders. 3,328 3rd class orders were awarded.

Source :
US AIR FORCE
https://awards.wiki/en/ussr/order_of_kutuzov/12.html
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3965190483567735&set=gm.1706463549539061