Frank J. Davis World War II Photographs

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About the Collection

The Frank J. Davis World War II Photographs are part of the World War II photographs, Medical Museum and Arts Service collection. Davis’s photographs portray life during World War II, including images from Washington, DC, ItalyFrance, and Saipan. The collection consists of personal photographs and covers a variety of subjects, including images of civilians, the destruction of war, Army hospitals and troops.

Davis (1924-2011) was part of the Museum and Medical Arts Service (MAMAS), Army Institute of Pathology, US Army Medical Museum during the war. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology/Army Medical Museum in Washington organized units of six personnel plus a commanding officer to furnish medical illustration services to the medical corps in various overseas operations. Starting in 1942, the units were assembled and given basic medical training plus workshops in medical photography and medical art before deployment. Altogether six such MAMAS units were deployed, first to India to serve the India/Burma campaigns then to North Africa, England and the South Pacific. Davis served in the 6th MAMAS unit during the Second World War. After the end of the war in Europe, Davis was deployed to the Pacific on the Island of Saipan.

Highlights include images of: