Guide to the Arthur B. Thomason papers
1935-1979
Collection number: HMC-0707.
Creator: Thomason, Arthur B.
Title: Arthur B. Thomason papers.
Dates: undated, 1935-1979.
Volume of collection: 0.1 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Papers and photographs of a soldier who served on Amchitka during World War II.
Biographical note:
Arthur B. Thomason, from West Palm Beach, Florida, was born in 1912. He enlisted in the U. S. Army at Camp Blanding, Florida, in December 1942. Thomason received training in the 801st Signal Training Regiment at Camp Murphy, Florida, in 1943. He was later assigned to a unit in the Alaska Defense Command, serving at Fort Lewis, Washington, in 1944, and Amchitka Army Air Field, in 1945. Arthur Thomason died in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the World War II and family photographs and papers of Arthur B. Thomason. The collection contains: 48 black and white and 5 color photographs; 7 conservation copy negatives of selected images; an Alaska Defense Command and a Fourth Service Command shoulder patch; World War II memorabilia items; and a family newspaper clipping from the Yorkville Inquirer from July 5, 1979. Thirty-three of the photographs are from Thomason’s service during World War II and are of Thomason and fellow soldiers on Amchitka, an anti-aircraft gun, a ship’s deck, scenery, and pets. Twenty of the photographs are of family and friends. The World War II memorabilia items include: two notices of selective service classification; a registration certificate; two temporary passes from Fort Lewis, Washington; a temporary membership card for the Camp Blanding, Florida, NCO Club from 1944; a quarterly membership card for the NCO Club, Amchitka, Alaska from 1945; a meal card for the Service Units Consolidated Mess on Amchitka; various baggage tags and checks; a Thanksgiving Day 1943 menu for the 801st Signal Training Regiment, Camp Murphy, Florida; a train schedule from the Olympian line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad from 1944; a newspaper article about Camp Murphy closing from November 1944; and a photo clipping of the Roosevelt funeral train leaving Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1945.
Arrangement: Collection is arranged by type of material.
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 the collection.
Preferred citation: Arthur B. Thomason papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was purchased by the Archives on eBay in 2004.
Processing information:The original album was dismantled, items arranged by type, and, the collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2004. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2015.