Archives West Finding Aid
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University of Washington civil defense photograph collection, 1943
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- University of Washington civil defense photograph collection
- Dates
- 1943 (inclusive)19431943
- Quantity
- 35 photographic prints (1 box) ; 8 x 10 inches
- Collection Number
- PH0367
- Summary
- Photographs documenting civil defense activities at the University of Washington in the 1940s
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The concept of civil defense has existed in the United States since World War I. As defined by the Geneva Conventions in 1949, civil defense encompassed activities such as medical services, rescue, and evacuation intended to protect the civilian population from the effects of a wartime attack or natural disaster. In 1956 the United States Congress expanded this definition to include nonmilitary actions in support of a war effort.
In May of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Proclamation 2487, declaring an unlimited national emergency and directing not only the military but also civilians to be prepared in case of attack. During World War II, members of the Citizens' Defense Corps (including air raid wardens, auxiliary police officers and firefighters, decontamination squads, and medical forces) volunteered their services to assist their communities in the event of a gas attack, air raid, or other wartime event. The wartime Office of Civilian Defense was dissolved by executive order of President Harry Truman in 1945. It was replaced four years later by the Federal Civil Defense Administration, created after the detonation of a Soviet nuclear bomb in 1949.
Civil defense activities, including fire and gas attack drills, took place on the University of Washington campus during World War II.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains black-and-white photographs documenting a simulated air raid and civil defense response at the University of Washington on the evening of June 13, 1943. Approximately 35,000 spectators from the Seattle area attended the event and volunteers who took part in the demonstration were enrolled in Civilian Protection services. Pictured are civil defense officials, simulations of fires and gas attacks, and other activities related to civil defense.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View the digital version of the collection
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the Special Collections division, University of Washington Libraries, for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Donor: Gordon Dick.
Processing Note
Processed by Darcy Nebergall, 2002, and Shannon B. Lynch, 2005.
The photographs were relocated from the George E. Goodspeed Papers (Manuscript Collection 2375), which are also located in Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folder | item | ||
| 1 | 1 |
Group of
men
Curtis T. Williams, Civil Defense director, appears in the image.
|
1943 |
| 1 | 2 |
Group of men with
a model of streets and buildings
Curtis T. Williams, Civil Defense director, appears in the image.
|
1943 |
| 1 | 3 | Group of men in University of Washington Stadium | 1943 |
| 1 | 4-6 | Color guard on the field at University of Washington Stadium, with audience in the stands | June 13, 1943 |
| 2 | 7-9 |
Simulated gas
attack at University of Washington Stadium
Roger Dudley, Seattle,
Washington (photographer)
Men in gas masks helping a man, a woman, and a young girl from a
car.
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 2 | 10-12 |
Simulated blister
gas attack at University of Washington Stadium
U.S. Army Signal Corps,
Fort Lewis, Washington (photographer)
Men in gas masks assisting two women while an audience in the
stands looks on.
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 2 | 13 |
Simulated gas
attack at University of Washington Stadium
Roger Dudley, Seattle,
Washington (photographer)
Two "victims" assisted by men in gas masks.
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 2 | 14-15 |
Simulated gas
attack at University of Washington Stadium
Men from decontamination squadron in full protection gear
spreading chloride of lime on area hit by blister gas bomb.
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 2 | 16 | Man standing next to a car with a "Gas danger" sign | June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 17 |
Faux buildings,
depciting a typically city block: "Precinct Headquarters," "Corner Grocery,"
and "Drugstore"
U.S. Army Signal Corps,
Fort Lewis, Washington (photographer)
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 18-21 |
Men fighting a
simulated fire at the "Corner Grocery" building
Roger Dudley, Seattle,
Washington;
U.S. Army Signal Corps,
Fort Lewis, Washington (photographer)
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 22 |
Men undressing to
enter the decontamination facility
Roger Dudley, Seattle,
Washington (photographer)
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 23-24 | Men climbing a ladder with hoses to fight a fire | June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 25-26 | Ladder crews fighting a fire | June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 27 |
Auxillary female
fire crew in front of the "Power House" building
Roger Dudley, Seattle,
Washington (photographer)
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 3 | 28 | Civilian Protection volunteers lying on the ground to protect themselves from the third bombing | June 13, 1943 |
| 4 | 29-31 |
Members of the
Army post lifting an unexploded bomb out of the ground with a crane
Roger Dudley, Seattle,
Washington (photographer)
|
June 13, 1943 |
| 4 | 32-33 |
Civil defense
drill
U.S. Army Signal Corps,
Fort Lewis, Washington (photographer)
Men and women in a field. Structures and objects may form an
obstacle course.
Item 33 is a cropped and enlarged duplicate of item 32.
|
June 13, 1943 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Chemical warfare--Safety measures--Photographs
- Civil defense--Citizen participation--Photographs
- Civil defense--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
- Emergency management--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
- Fires--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- University of Washington Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)--Photographs
