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William M. Flanagan World War I photographs

Call Number

PR 346

Date

1917-1919, inclusive

Creator

Flanagan, William M., 1896-

Extent

0.01 Linear feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

A small collection of black-and-white photographs documenting the military service of Corporal William M. Flanagan with Company F, 102nd Supply Train, 27th Infantry Division, U.S. National Guard, during World War I.

Biographical Note

William M. Flanagan, a chauffeur both before and after his military service, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 20 November 1896. He later lived on Manhattan's west side, near Hell's Kitchen. On 11 June 1917 he enlisted in the Army National Guard, and on 9 May 1918 was promoted to corporal, Company F, 102nd Supply Train, 27th Infantry Division. The 27th had been called into federal service on 15 July 1917, and massed at Camp Wadsworth, near Spartanburg, South Carolina, before shipping overseas. Among its successes during World War I, the 27th was instrumental in cracking wide the Hindenburg Line near Soissons, France. Flanagan was honorably discharged on 4 April 1919.

Arrangement

The collection is housed in one folder.

Scope and Contents

This small collection consists mainly of twelve black-and-white snapshots documenting Corporal William M. Flanagan's service with Company F, 102nd Supply Train, 27th Infantry Division, U.S. National Guard, during World War I. Although all of the photos bear notations on their backs (some of the notations are more like brief letters home to his parents), only one photo is dated. That one, taken 7 September 1917, shows the 27th in Jersey City, New Jersey, before it headed to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for training. Another photo captures the entire company at Spartanburg, and another shows their campgrounds, presumably also at Spartanburg.

Included in the collection is a printed menu for the 1918 Christmas dinner served to Company F "some where in France." It lists the complete company roster. Flanagan penned a note on the back of the menu (dated 3 January 1919) to Anna, his fiancée or possibly already his wife.

Two miscellaneous photos accompany the collection. One is a black-and-white 8 x 10 that dates from about 1926, based on the license plate of the car parked at the curb. According to the donor, it was possibly taken in Albany, New York, and shows Flanagan, in his chauffeur's cap (standing third from right), posed with a group of state troopers and others around a tall man (left of center, wearing a fedora) believed to be the King of Sweden. A cursory comparison of images of Gustav V, King of Sweden, 1907–1950, and of his son, Gustav VI Adolf, King of Sweden, 1950–1973, suggests that the man in the fedora is the latter, who visited New York while crown prince in June, 1926.

The other miscellaneous photograph is a black-and-white snapshot from the early twentieth century, of a group of female Nabisco workers posed on a rooftop in Long Island City, Queens. A notation on back indicates the "girls were called Biscuit Shooters."

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)

Use Restrictions

Permission to reproduce any Print Room holdings through publication must be obtained from: Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 270. Fax: (212) 579-8794.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the William M. Flanagan World War I Photographs, PR 346, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.

Credit line (for exhibition labels): Donated in honor of my Uncle, Corporal William M. Flanagan, from Marianne McKenna.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Marianne P. McKenna, August 2017.

Collection processed by

Joseph Ditta

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:51:47 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information Note

Archivist Joseph Ditta processed this collection in November 2017.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024