Library Guides: World War I and World War II: Archives & Special Collections Materials

Special Collections

Captain Bryan's Pacific War Atlas [cartographic material] by Bryan, E. H. (Edwin Horace), 1898-1985.

Select holdings available through Western Libraries' Special Collections:

Coral Comes High by Hunt, George Pinney, 1918-
Globe and Commercial Advertiser - Final edition
Publication Date: July 10, 1916
Features articles about the Champaign and Somme offensives of World War I, the arrival in Baltimore of a German submarine, and an outbreak of infantile paralysis in New York City.
Lest we forget : 1941-1945 the war years: aviation history of Whatcom County by Neill D. Mullen, Whatcom County Historical Society
Call Number: Western Library Wilson 4C - Northwest Collection TL522.W2 M85 2001
Publication Date: 2001
Aviation history of Whatcom County, 1941-1945, the war years
The First Yale unit : a story of naval aviation, 1916-1919 by Paine, Ralph Delahaye, 1871-1925.
The Stars and Stripes
A complete file of the Stars and stripes, the official newspaper of the American expeditionary forces printed in France from Feb. 8th, 1918 to June 13th, 1919.
The War of the Nations: portfolio in rotogravure etchings by New York : New York Times, Co., 1919.
The Western Front [digital resource] by Bellingham, Wash.:Western Washington State College
Online access to the student newspaper of Western Washington University (full-text and keyword searchable).
The Western Front; by Bone, Muirhead, Sir, 1876-1953.
Call Number: Archives & Special Collections--Special Collections Rare Book Collection - Oversize NC1115 .B78
Pictorial work issued in 10 parts, December, 1916 to October, 1917; published also in 2 vols., with additional letterpress and indexes, the text by C.E. Montague.
Continued by "British Artists at the Front."
War in the Garden of Eden by Roosevelt, Kermit, 1889-1943.
With the colors, from Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties : an honor roll containing a pictorial record of the gallant and courageous men from northwestern Washington, U.S.A., who served in the world war, 1917-1918-1919 by Louis Jacobin, John J Pershing
Call Number: Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Reference Room D570.85 1921

WWU Archives and Records Center

Course Catalogs 9/1/1942-6/30/1943 Western Washington College of Education, Bellingham, Washington, Wartime Offerings

Contact the WWU Archives and Records Center to access these and other holdings:

Faculty Clubs and Activities 1/1/1945-12/30/1954 War Orphans Correspondence
Veterans Services 1/1/1945-12/31/1945 Veterans
Includes information of former students killed/missing in action in WWII and on Dedication of Memorial Organ
Veterans Services 1/1/1944-12/31/1958 Veterans Assistance Programs

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies

Barrett (Eldon) Papers
The Eldon Barrett Papers comprise biographical and personal papers, research, writings, and photographic materials documenting the life and career of a nationally known journalist, United Press International (UPI) writer and news bureau chief. The papers also include publications and photographs documenting World War II history on the Aleutian Islands.

Contact the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies to access these and other holdings:

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Miscellaneous Scrapbook Collection
The photographic scrapbooks document the family life of ordinary individuals and families and some of their travels. The collection also includes scrapbooks documenting fishing boats, passenger ships, battleships from WWI and WWII and Pacific American Fisheries facilities in Alaska and in Bellingham. It is possible that some of the images were taken or collected by Bert Huntoon and Galen Biery.
Druzea Club Records
The Druzea Club records consist of several scrapbooks highlighting the activities of the club from 1937-1968, including volunteer work during World War II in war service projects.
Edson (Lelah Jackson) Scrapbooks
These scrapbooks contain newpaper clippings documenting the December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor and subsequent events through June 27, 1942. There is also a scrapbook containing clippings about Edson as well as some of her writings that were published in newspapers throughout the area.
Gabl (Franz X.) Papers
The collection documents Olympic medallist Franz X. Gabl’s career and interests as a professional skier and ski instructor in Europe, Canada and the Pacific Northwest. The collection also includes photographs documenting Gabl’s experiences in the German army during World War II, where he served on the Russian Front from 1941-45.
Guide to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Miscellaneous Scrapbooks collection 1883-1967
Three books contain scenes of WWI & WWII boats and shipbuilding.
Hall (Claude C.) Papers
The collection documents the experiences of Claude C. (Chester) Hall (1896-1977) when he worked as a civilian employee with the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. Hall was employed with Seattle-based Pacific Huts, Inc., setting up pre-fabricated wooden structures that were used to house troops in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska during the war. The collection also includes some of Hall's World War I papers, as well as a small selection of personal items.
Hogg (James B.) Collection on the D-Day Invasion
The collection contains a typescript from aboard the USS NEVADA during the D-Day invasion of Normandy from June 6, 1944 through June 18, 1944. The collection also includes two books about the United States Navy.
Hovde Family Papers
Series II: Subseries 2: Journals of World War II
McFarland (George and Anna) Papers
Letters written 1926-1931 WWI between Pearl McFarland & several U.S. Navy men; Correspondence between Hazel McFarland and (future husband) C.E. Priest 1930 – 1932. Discusses naval ships in Bellingham Bay, life in Bellingham & Seattle during the war.
McGowan Family Papers
The McGowan Family papers consist of letters primarily between Ella McDonald McGowan and Donald "Kirk" McGowan, dating from 1933 to 1944. Several of the letters were written during World War II while Kirk was serving in United States Army.
Nora B. Cummins Papers, 1936-1946.
The Nora B. Cummins papers document her participation in the Whatcom County Advisory Committee and the Consumer Interest Committee in Bellingham, Washington. The papers contain correspondence, administrative records, newspapers clippings, directives from the Office of Price Administration, and pamphlets related to matters of public relief, the price fixing system, and rationing during WWII.
Series I: Audio Oral History Interviews, 2003-2004
The Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project Records include a series of interviews conducted with long-time Bellingham residents and sought to document Bellingham from its beginnings to the present day getting citizens to reflect on their personal experiences and observations of significant local events.
Names of interviews relating to Bellingham during WWI are listed under the more information icon.
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Davenport, George; Roberts, Jim; Russell, Betty, sheet metal mechanic. Later she worked at Boeing in Seattle becoming one of the first women workers on the floor of the Boeing plant as a mechanic mostly building B-17’s. She also recounts both her family’s and the community’s reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor; Sternhagen, Nina and John, relates his experiences serving in the Coast Guard Reserve during World War II on a tug boat in Alaska and Washington as well as a patrol boat in Bellingham Bay; Watts, Margaret, recalls teaching during World War II and acting as a counselor to many students whose parents were contributing to the war effort. She also reflects on the attack on Pearl Harbor and the other effects that the war had on Bellingham like blackouts and the National Guard presence.
Stimpson Family Papers
Collection of family papers generated by members of the Stimpson and Watts family, prominent members of the Bellingham community. The collection includes substantial correspondence from World War II. Access and use restrictions apply to this collection.
Thompson Family Papers
The Thompson Family papers document three generations of Thompson Family members, providing insights into life on the San Juan Islands during the first half of the twentieth century, as well as first hand accounts of family experience during World War II.
Tjomsland (Blanche Saunders) Papers
The collection contains the personal and professional papers of Blanche Saunders Tjomsland, a former Bellingham Public Library employee. Photographs in the collection document family, friends, and World War I soldiers, airplanes and scenes from France.
Tweit, Gordy
Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project Records
Series II: Video Oral History Interviews, 2003-2004
Gordon started out as a delivery boy for the Fairhaven Pharmacy in 1941 and entered the Navy in 1944 serving on a tanker in the Aleutians Islands. He returned two years later and decided to become a pharmacist. He also discusses the atmosphere and changes in Bellingham during and after World War II.
Washington State Oral/Aural History Program Interviews, 1974-1977.
microfiche transcripts of oral history interviews conducted as part of a bicentennial project by the Washington State Division of Archives and Records Management. The oral histories document the lives and experiences of African Americans and Filipinos in Washington State. Interview transcripts are indexed and organized by county name or by ethnic group.
Washington Women's Heritage Project Records (Alice Bloedel)
Early memories of World War Two, tensions between her parents about whether or not to become Nazi supporters, Gestapo, controversial marriages, work on Nazi farms in rural Germany, foster families, school memories, family relations and estrangement, and life in war torn Germany, immigration, the U.S. Air Force, women’s independence,
Weaver (William) Research materials on Washington State
This is a collection of research materials relating to World War II, Southwest Indians, Skagit County's Bayview community, Washington State, and other topics. Materials include a number of oral history interviews and corresponding transcripts.
Whatcom County Chapter of the American National Red Cross Records
The Whatcom County Chapter of the American National Red Cross records document the establishment, goals and activities of this chapter founded in Bellingham, Washington, in 1917. The collection includes documentation of service projects during World War II as well as letters from nurses serving abroad.
World War II Carpetbagger Project Manuscript
This manuscript contains a military history of the United States Air Force's 492nd Bombardment Group. Also known as the Carpetbagger Project, the 492nd flew special operations to deliver supplies to resistance groups in enemy-occupied countries. The manuscript contains references to official military correspondence, journal entries and other personal accounts, and numerous photographs and copies of newspaper clippings.

Archives & Special Collections

OUR MISSION

Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections provides for responsible stewardship of and access to unique and archival resources in support of teaching, learning and research at Western Washington University and beyond. The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Special Collections, and University Archives and Records Management work together to document the culture and history of Western, the local community and Pacific Northwest region, and to promote public and scholarly access to holdings.