Photograph by
Schutz Photo, American, founded 1918
Subject of
Coles, Alphonso C. Jr., American, 1920 - 2019
8th Engineer Battalion, American, founded 1916
Date
November 1942
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin
Dimensions
H x W: 10 x 34 in. (25.4 x 86.4 cm)
Description
This black and white panoramic photograph of World War II soldiers from Company D, 8th Engineer Battalion, Ft. Belvoir depicts the training class of November 1942. The class photograph takes up the top half of the photograph and is made up of a posed group of soldiers in uniform standing and sitting on bleachers five deep. The front row holds a flag with a dark background and light colored letters that read "RTC/ 8D". Between the RTC and the 8D is a castle. The flag is mounted on a pole which is held horizontally by soldiers in the front row. The bottom half of the photograph is divided into seven sections; six smaller inset images and an empty space with the engineer battalion logo and the company name "CO. D, 8th BATTALION/ Engineer Replacement Training Center/ Fort Belvoir, VA Nov. 1942." The furthest right image shows troops marching. The second right image depicts the company in formation. The third right image is of a small group of officers. The left hand most image depicts soldiers marching in formation, and the second left image shows a platoon of soldiers posing. The third left most image depicts a small group of soldiers posing with the company flag. There are hand written notes in black ink giving details about the photos.
The back of the photograph is inscribed with song lyrics handwritten in graphite.
Place depicted
Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Type
panoramas
portraits
Topic
Men
Military
Photography
World War II
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alphonso C. Coles, II
Object number
2014.253.7
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f6b0bb0c-75f1-46ea-9075-567e8d7784d7

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page