Finding Aid
Bruce Doherty fonds. – 1917-1926; predominant 1917-1918. – 2 cm of graphic material (54 items).
Group 1 Bruce Doherty photographs
#1 Photographic postcard of Bruce Doherty in uniform with a young woman on either side [Olive and Marjorie Twigger?]. The postcard is addressed to Miss O.M. Doherty, Orangeville. The card is dated July 24 1917 and contains only his mailing address, “2nd A.M. (Air Mechanic) Doherty ... Camp Mohawk, Deseronto, Ontario.
#2 Photographic postcard of Doherty in uniform in the garden of the same house as photograph #1. The postcard has no address or message.
#3 Photograph (identified on reverse) of Ella Patterson, Bruce (in uniform) and Bertha Doherty (sister). The postcard is addressed to Miss M. Phoenix ... Toronto and contains the date Sept. 2 [19]17, and “from HBD”.
#4 Photographic postcard of Doherty in uniform with a young woman on either side, [Ella Patterson and Bertha Doherty?]. The postcard has no address or message.
#5 Photographic postcard of Doherty in uniform with his rifle. The postcard is addressed to Mr. J. Doherty [Joshua, Bruce’s father] ... Orangeville. The card was written from Camp Mohawk, Nov. 6 1917 with the message that he may be leaving for Texas tomorrow.
#6 Photographic postcard of Doherty in uniform with a young woman on either side. They are identified on the reverse as Olive and Marjorie Twigger. The postcard has no address or message.
#7 Photographic postcard of Doherty in uniform with grass and trees in the background. The postcard has no address or message.
#8 Photograph of Doherty in the open cockpit of a plane. There are no identifying markings visible but the plane has a stencilled thistle below the cockpit.
Group 2 Photographs taken at Combat Training Centre Armour Heights, Toronto
#9 Photograph of an aircraft landing with buildings [hangars?] on either side. The inscription on the reverse is as follows: “St. Graves at Armour Heights, Toronto.”
#10 Photograph of aerial view of land through wing of aircraft. The inscription on the reverse is: “Armour Heights Camp”.
#11 Photograph of an aerial view of an airbase. The inscription on the reverse is: “Armour Heights Camp”.
#12 Photograph of an aerial view of an airbase. The inscription on the reverse is: “Armour Heights Toronto”.
#13 Photograph of an aerial view of a house, with garden and shed at rear. No identification but appears to be same series as the Armour Heights photographs.
Group 3 Photographs taken at RFC Training Centre, Benbrook, Texas
#14 Photographic postcard showing an aircraft silhouetted against the sky and the RFC (Royal Flying Corps) badge in the lower right corner. To the right of the image is the message: “Greetings from Texas Christmas 1917.” The postcard has no address or message.
#15 Photograph shows airmen sitting on rows of beds lined up on both sides of a long, narrow hall. The inscription on the reverse reads: “Barracks, Benbrook, Texas”.
#16 Photograph of rows of aircraft hangars. The inscription on the reverse reads” “Hangers, [sic] Benbrook, Texas”.
#17 Photograph of “our Xmas mess room decorations.”
#18 Photograph of “Benbrook Village, I took this from the air about 500 feet up.”
#19 Photograph of “above the clouds in Texas, U.S.A.
Group 4 Airmen and aircraft
29 photographs and photographic postcards of airmen and aircraft; only one is dated, 13 September 1917. Planes are depicted in flight, on the ground (sometimes with airmen) and crashed. Three of them depict the crash of two aircraft at Napanee, Ontario. There is one of “Captain Castle taken 2 days before he was killed.” There are two photographic postcards of aircraft, both addressed to Mrs. J. Doherty in Orangeville – one is from Otta and mentions Bruce Doherty. Neither postcard mentions the war.
Group 5 Other
Four photographs: barracks, ambulance, water-tower – none have captions. Also a photographic postcard from Doherty to his mother, pmk Toronto 20 April 1926; the photograph has printed caption: “Flying into the sunset near Allison, Ont.” Also a Christmas and New Year’s card from Royal Flying Corps, Canada, 1917 with illustrations of aircraft.
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