Ethel

As promised, the third and last real photo postcard from the Philippine (?) envelope.  No, I can't be 100 % sure that all three photos from this small envelope of cards are from the Philippines, but this one looks more  a sure bet than the last one.  There is some information written on the back, "Ethel, one of old pose," but that doesn't give a true location.  Obviously, it's the clothes that do not say North America, so considering the Carving P.I. label from the first card, well why not jump to the conclusion.

Now, for those who have wondered about the "AZO" that is often seen around the stamp block on photo post cards.  The first two cards from this mini series had an "ARTURA"  identifier, while this one has "AZO."  So, what's the difference?  To start with, both are Kodak products.  Artura was made by Kodak from 1905 to 1921, and while the label is almost always seen on pre-manufactured postcard stock, the paper was actually available in a variety of formats.  It was usually used as a contact paper, and since Kodak and a number of early camera and film companies  made products that yielded a negative that was postcard sized, it was a natural for the market.  It tended to produce images with a very slightly green tone.  Artura was discontinued after Kodak lost an antitrust suit, and had to either divest or eliminate some of it's products.

Azo, was also a slow paper best used for contact prints, and like Artura, it came in a variety of sizes.  Azo was noted for having a wide tonal range and could  easily give rich blacks and hold highlights, making it a favorite with amateur printers and photo labs alike.  Azo was originally manufactured by The Photo Materials Co. in Rochester, New York in 1898.  Kodak bought the company the same year, and kept Azo in production until 2005.  It was the longest continuously manufactured photographic paper in history.  In one of the photo labs where I used to work, we would make contact prints  from 8X10 negatives on Azo.

From the Philippines?

As I noted on my last post, I bought three real photo postcards, in an envelope, but I don't know if they have any relationship other than the same seller.  So, is this a photo of a young Filipino mother and daughter?  Could be.  In any case, it's a far more pleasant image than a horse getting butchered.

Carving In the Philippines

I'm not sure why anyone would want to make a postcard of this image.  It looks like a horse is being butchered, and I'm assuming that P.I. stands for the Philippines Islands.  This was one of three postcards I purchased that were all in the same envelope.  I'm not sure there's any relationship beyond the same seller, but the next two posts will be the other cards.

She's a Bear

I don't know when this postcard was made, but I, at least, have a date range on when the photo was taken.  Construction began on the U.S.S. California in 1916, after the beginning of World War 1, but a year or so before  U.S. entry into the conflict.  She wasn't launched until 1919, so the California  didn't see any action in the war to end all wars.  After being commissioned, the California became the flagship of America's Pacific Fleet.  I wasn't able to find out when she lost that status, but I do know the California was one of the battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor.  She was raised and repaired enough that she was able to steam to  Bremerton, Washington, under her own power, for a complete refit.  There, her two funnels were combined in a single stack, and her superstructure was completely redesigned.  Since this photo shows a ship with twin funnels, clearly it was taken between 1919 and 1941. The California returned to active duty in 1944, missing most of the war in the Pacific.  She did see service during the American invasion of the Philippines, but was severely damaged by a kamikaze hit, which meant another return to the west coast for more repairs.  The California was back on duty for the invasion of Okinawa.  After the war ended, unable to fit through the Panama Canal, The California made a trip around the southern tip of Africa to the east coast of the United States, where she was transferred to the reserve list in 1946.  She was decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap in 1959.  One of the things learned in World War 2 was that the age of battleships was over.  Naval warfare would now be dominated by submarines, aircraft carriers and smaller ships.  Despite all the money and time spent to build, repair, and refit the California, she never played a truly significant part in any war.  

Views of the World, San Nichola, Cebu, P.I.

Cebu is an island in the Philippines.  I looked up San Nichola, but couldn't find it.  There is a neighborhood called San Nicholas in Cebu City.  If this card is from that neighborhood then it doesn't look like this anymore.  Cebu City isn't the second largest city in the country, but it's sometimes called the second city of the Philippines, and it's densely populated.  I doubt there are any huts and wide dirt roads anymore.

So this is it.  The final card in this series.  If I ever find the few missing images, or if I run across any cards numbered higher than 48, I'll buy them and post them here.  But, I wouldn't hold my breath.  Click on Views of the World in labels at the bottom of the post to see the whole lot.

Views of the World, Old Gateway, Manila, P.I.

File this one under, you learn something everyday.  I knew that before the U.S. took the Philippines, it had been a Spanish colony.  What I didn't know was that the Spaniards launched their invasion of the islands from Mexico.

I'm surprised, considering the United State's long history in the Philippines, that I don't have more photos of the islands in my collection.  This image of the old gateway is one of several entrances into Fort Santiago, the original Spanish military outpost in Manila.  Today, Manila is the most densely populated cities in the world.

Click on Views of the World in labels to see more from the collection.  Only one more to go.

Relax

Written on the back, "Now who says I didn't take it easy coming over?  Every second and never had such a quiet relaxed time.  Hope on next trip will be with You & Chaty to Manilla?  Why not?"  It might be difficult to relax with Chaty along.  Of course, Chaty might be short for something other than Chatty. and since Manila is misspelled.....well, who knows.

FEAF

Believe it or not, when I found this small collection of photos, it was the sign that I wanted.

When I look through my collection of old photos, I'm well aware that the majority of people I see are dead; and I'm never more aware of that fact then when I'm looking at pictures from the World War 2 era.  It's not just the age of the photos, although that is a large part of it.  My father was a veteran, he was born in 1919, and if he were still alive, he would be turning 96 on February 4.  Even those who joined the military at 18, in 1945, are now in their late eighties.   It's the sheer carnage of a war, that killed so many young men, women, and huge numbers of civilians that reminds me of death.  It's fair to say that every person in the United States either had a family member that didn't come back, or they new of a family that suffered a lose of some sort.  And let's be honest, we in the United States actually got off easy.

FEAF stands for Far East Air Force.  It was formed on November 16, 1941, when all Army Air Force units in the Philippines were placed under a single, unified command.   Less than a month latter, on December 8 (Dec 7 on the other side of the international date line.) the Japanese attacked.  To make a long story short, the FEAF was pretty much destroyed on the ground.  In the end, 14 B-17s and their crews, 49 out of 165 fighter pilots,  27 ground officers, and 16 wounded enlisted men were evacuated to Darwin, Australia where they were reorganized as the 5th Air Force.  Those who weren't killed in the initial fighting, and who weren't evacuated, ended up as infantry on Bataan.

I'm not sure anyone who has gone to war can be described as lucky, but the young men in these photos come close.  While the men of the FEAF were stationed in the Philippines,  they were trained in the United States.  The third picture in the column has a processors stamp on the back.  "McCOLLUM'S PHOTO SHOP, ALBANY, GA.  DEC 8 1941."   Who knows whether they survived the war, but they did miss the surprise attacks in the Pacific.