Guide to Iris V. and James W. Cunningham scrapbook
1942-1945
Collection number: HMC-0911.
Creator: Cunningham, James W.
Cunningham, Iris V.
Title: Iris V. and James W. Cunningham scrapbook.
Dates: 1943-1945.
Volume of collection: 0.5 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Scrapbook of a soldier who served with the 78th Coast Artillery in the Aleutian Islands during WWII and his wife.
Biographical note:
James W. Cunningham was born in California in 1918. He enlisted in the U. S. Army at Fort McDowell, Angel Island, California, on September 24, 1940. During World War II, he served in the 78th Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) in the Aleutian Islands, including participation in operations on Attu. Cunningham married Iris V. Olmstead in 1945. James Cunningham died in 1989.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the World War II era scrapbook of 78th Coast Artillery soldier James W. Cunningham and his wife Iris Cunningham. The collection contains: 91 original black and white prints; three black and white Alaska photo post cards; four black and white photo cards of big band musicians; one personal letter, one V-mail letter, three telegrams and several greeting cards and post cards between James Cunningham and Iris Olmstead; a memorandum of appreciation from the commander of the 78 Coast Artillery, Col. W. R. Carroll, to his soldiers at the completion of operations on Attu (June 11, 1943); a copy of an extract from the Nebuo Tatsugushi diary; several poems; an Alaska Defense Command shoulder patch and other patches; a copy of the Seward Polaris newspaper (Mar. 24, 1945); and various memorabilia items including illustrated cocktail napkins, cartoons, receipts, tickets, matchbooks, menus, programs, and a War Department welcome home pamphlet for soldiers (Mar. 15, 1944). Subjects of the original photographs include: James Cunningham, Iris Olmstead and friends in California; Cunningham and fellow soldiers on Attu and Adak; and Japanese soldiers on Attu (Japanese snapshot); and pictures of dead Japanese soldiers on Attu.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by type of material.
Alternative formats: A Xerographic copy of the original scrapbook is available.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: The archives does not hold copyright to these materials.
Preferred citation: Iris V. and James W. Cunningham scrapbook, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Related materials: For more materials related to World War II, please see the World War II in Alaska topic guide.
Acquisition note: Archives and Special Collections purchased the scrapbook from an online auction in 2006.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2006. The guide was converted to current standards by Amanda Coffey in 2016. Additional description highlighting Iris Cunningham’s involvement in the creation of the scrapbook was added by Becky Butler Gallegos in 2024.