Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Photos of the unknown.........

Solbad

All that it says on the back of the photo is "a friend of mine."  My dad had taken it either in Belgium or on a short weekend adventure that they had taken through the different European countries.  I do know that but he did end up in Paris on the one weekend journey.  For an Iowa farm boy, I could see his eyes getting real big as he visited Europe.  The time had to be 1943 or 44.  France had to have been relieved of it's German visitors by then.


This photo has no inscriptions on the back. I am thinking it was from an army friend that was sent to him.  It was from his collection of war photos but I don't know it's location.  It looks somewhat tropical to me but those are not palm trees.  People sitting on the ground and the small shelter buildings look like they were built for a hot climate with screening on the front. 
It could have been one of his brother's photos as there was one and one brother-in-law who also was involved in the service.  I will never know about this mystery picture, even though it does have to be in the 1940's.

The Bonds Hotel

A photo of my dad, standing on a balcony of a stair in front of the Bonds Hotel.  I again do not know it's actual location just the approximate year it was taken.

11 comments:

Bob Scotney said...

Intriguing pictures again, Larry. Trying to find information about picture from WWII and the 1940s is difficult without more detail is very difficult unless you are very lucky.

Kristin said...

i especially like that last photograph. it's the atmosphere.

Brett Payne said...

There is a Solbad Hotel near Sigriswil in Austria. I'm guessing that "Solbad" means sun-bath.

L. D. said...

Yes, I looked it up too and I figure by vehicle they traveled down through Belgium and Austria crossing into France. I don't know if the war was still going on or if that it was over then.

Tattered and Lost said...

Perhaps the second shot is New Guinea. Perhaps someone he knew did a Pacific tour, even in the Seabees.

Mike Brubaker said...

The photo with the huts was taken in the Pacific theater. The men squatting appear from New Guinea or thereabouts. an air station barracks perhaps?

tony said...

I Always Find Such Photos Of R&R During Wartime Extremely Poignant .thank You For Sharing Them With Us.

Little Nell said...

Mysterious indeed. I like the pose on the last photo too.

Howard said...

Great pictures. I especially like the first picture - 'Solbad'.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing these interesting photos Larry. I really like that last one. We have many such photos of Dad's that we don't know much about from that same time period.

Unknown said...

I love those two little guys all bundled up ready for anything! Isn"t it something how we have so little information on so many of these old photos...