E.G. Blankenship Scrapbook
Historic Owner
Edgar Gerald Blankenship
Association
USS Intrepid (CV/CVA/CVS-11)
Pictured
Edward A. Ritter
Date1944–1959
PeriodWorld War II; Cold War
Mediumpaper, photographic paper, plastic, metal
ClassificationsCommunication Artifacts
Credit LineCollection of the Intrepid Museum. Gift of the family of Lt. E.G. Blankenship (1919–1947). 2016.44
Object number2016.44
DescriptionScrapbook; 1944–59 partially filled photograph album of 100 black pages containing black and white photographs, newspaper clippings, name tag, Edward Ritter cartoons, and other ephemera attached to pages using tape, black photo corners, or loose in the pages. The cover is textured black plastic with “Pictures” in silver on the front. Page 1: Contains a color painting of the fighter squadron VF-18 devil with a halo mascot and a name tag that reads “E.G. Blankenship // Ensign. U.S.N.R.”
Pages 2-3: Blank
Page 4: Contains one photograph of squadron VC-30. Back lists all names: “Front Row – Left to Right // “Hat Rack” Young, “Frog” Hurst, “Big Tom” Thompson, “Quinn Hurlburt. “Punchie” Mallory, // “Snuffy” Mayer, “¬Me Snipo” Blankenship, “Gremlin” Roth, “Moe” Mahoney (all Ensigns) // Second Row - // Ens. “Yerty” Yates, Ens. “Herb” Hood, Ens. “Fat Boy” Keels, Lt(Jg) “Harve” Narvell, Ens. “Geech” Hall, // Lt. “Freud Wolfgang” Tracey (alias “Frackey”), Lt. “Musguakee”, “Geronimo” Rennemo, Ens. “Del” Delaney, // Ens. Ray “Foxbite” Keenan, Lt. “Yogi No. 2” Watts (“Donald Duck”) // Third Row - // Lt. jg “Yogi No. 1” Bondurant, Ens. “Tommy” Ryan, Lt. “Butch” Knospe, Ens. “Spider” Folty, Lt. // “Murph” Murphy (Exec), Commander “Joe” Black (Skipper) Lt. “Tot” Tothill, Lt. “Tony” // Denman, Lt. Dave, El Garillo”, “Confidential”. Gamble, Lt. “Mac” MacDonald (Signal Officer) // Missing - // Asst. Signal officer Ensign “Jerry” Gray, Lt. “Head S___ West, Lt. (Jg) // “Dismal S__ Wylie, Lt “Mac” MacGaffigan, Lt. jg “Greek” Metcalf, // Ens. “Rowdy Dow” Barksdale, Ens. “Moose” Nemsak, Ens. “Plastered” Plaisted // VC-30.”
Page 5: Contains one photograph of men on flight deck. Back says “VC-30 // men.”
Page 6: Contains one photograph holder and two photographs. Left side photograph holder contains a photograph of Blankenship and fellow sailor. Top right is Blankenship and other sailor standing behind a photo cutout depicting a shotgun wedding. Bottom right is of Blankenship, back reads “624X.”
Page 7: Contains four photographs. Top left is of Blankenship, his wife Martha, and other sailor sitting at table. Top right is of Blankenship and other sailor with arms around each other. Bottom left is of Blankenship and two other sailors. Bottom right is two photographs of a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, back says “Snuffy in “Hail Dog” Willow Grove // Penna.”
Page 8: Contains one photograph of VF-36 standing in front of and on a plane. Back says “Front Row (Left to Right) // Lts. // Brownell, Neighbours, Picken, Fisher, Rennemo, Hearseal, Guyman // Watto, Denman, Murphy (now Skipper) Lt. Comm. Link (Skipper) // Bresman [sp?], Quinlan, Wolf, Banmon, Burnett, Boyle, Gowling, Davis // -Ran out of ink // I’m 4th from right on top wing. //Most of our boys are up there with me, // You’ll probably recognize them // Blank // VF-36”.
Page 9: Contains three photographs. Top left is Blankenship sitting at a table with four other people. Bottom left is of sailor playing instruments in ready room on ship, back says “”Jam Session” in ready room. // “Sqauths” seated on far left, front // row. // Me over by door // A little relaxation at // night // Martha hasn’t seen this.” Bottom right is of sailors sitting at a table with hats stacked in the middle, back says “39.”
Page 10: Contains one photograph of a group of sailors in front of a plane, back says “Air Group 18”.
Page 11: Blank
Page 12: Blank
Page 13: Contains six photographs. Top left is of tree sailors, back says “Snuffy, Squakee, & myself in // Hilo, T.H. BOQ #4.” Top middle is of two sailor in flight gear, back says “Tony Denman & George // Eckel in Front of F6F // Hilo, T.H.” Top right is of two men with beers, back says “Country Club in [illegible].” Bottom left is of man drinking beer, back says “Squakee” guzzles // bottle of beer.” Bottom middle shows two men, back says “Big Tom & Squakee on Gold // Course in Hilo, T.H..” Bottom right is of a plane in the air, back says “Big tom flying F6F over // Hawaii.”
Page 14: Contains nine photographs. Three of three sailors in uniform posing, one of two sailors with a cow, two of two sailors riding horses, one of three sailors with dogs, and two of a landscape creating a panoramic photograph.
Page 15: Contains ten photographs. Four of sailors sitting in front of a porch with dogs. Five of sailors and men riding on horses on a ranch. One of a man with cow.
Page 16: Contains eight photographs. Three show sailors with a cow, one shows a sailor posing at a lookout, one shows a sailor on a horse, one shows four sailors posing with back caption that reads “”Chesty”, “Buck”, [illegible], and // Myself. My division in // Hilo, T.H. last December // Bloxin is exec of Sqdn. // & I am his section leader”, one shows a sailor and a man in front of a car, and one shows a sailor in front of a porch.
Page 17: Contains seven photographs. Top left is two photographs of Blankenship and man with dog in front of a car. Top middle is of three sailors posing. Top right is of a sailor holding a rope sitting on a pole. Middle is of sailors and men in field with horses and other animals. Bottom left is of three sailors sitting on a stone wall. Bottom middle is of two men riding horses. Bottom right is of two sailors and a man with dogs.
Page 18: Contains eleven photographs. Two of ten sailors posing between tents, three of a sailor in front of a tent, one of four sailors pointing and laughing at a book, back reads “Shouty Suthrie, Joe Clerou, Doc // Haley, & Jack Guthrie (Marine // buddies) talk over old times // in New Zealand,” five of sailors posing in groups in front of car.
Page 19: Contains two photographs of the “Fighting Eighteen” with photos and names of each man in group.
Page 20: Contains six photos. Top left is a postcard of a topless woman with grass skirt. Top middle is of sailors drinking. Top left is of sailors looking at Ed Ritter cartoons. Bottom right is of topless woman with skirt, back stamp reads “Passed (illegible) Naval Office”. Bottom middle is of sailors drinking. Bottom right is of sailors crowded in room.
Page 21: Contains one photograph of Blankenship. This photograph was used in Ed Ritter cartoons.
Page 22: Contains one photograph of two men sitting on either side of a woman, back reads “6.”
Page 23: Contains one page of two Ed Ritter cartoons. One is a picture of “Snipo” being carried by women. One is a cartoon of sailors in the ready room. Inserted in page was 2 pencil Ritter drawings, which have been scanned separately.
Page 24: Contains two pages of photocopies Ed Ritter cartoons. Left has two cartoons, one of four small scenes with a sailor and a woman, and the other has pilots getting into planes. Right has two cartoons, one of sailors in a club with dancing, and one of a pilot in front of a plan with women, sign reads “One-Day-Only! // Direct from // the War Zone // Our hero!”
Page 25: Contains two pages of photocopies Ed Ritter cartoons. Left has two cartoons, one of sailors playing cards, one of sailors dancing. Right has two cartoons, one of two small scenes with sailors walking by a woman, one of pilots talking to sailors.
Page 26: Contains two pages of photocopies Ed Ritter cartoons. Left has two cartoons, one of a sailor in a grass skirt dancing with two hula girls, one with small scenes including a sailor being attended to by a nurse, a sailor talking to a doctor, and a mechanic holding up a pilot next to a plane. Right has two cartoons, one of sailors exercising on the flight deck, one of a pilot touching the ground next to a tired looking plane, which is the same cartoon as one of the pencil ones from page 23.
Page 27: Contains two pages of photocopies Ed Ritter cartoons. Left has two cartoons, one of a sailor talking to other sailors, one says “our little ray of sunshine.” Right has two cartoons, one has four small scenes with sailors walking into a bar, one has a pilot flying with no hands.
Page 28: Contains two pages of photocopies Ed Ritter cartoons. Left has two cartoons, one of a pilot taking pictures from a plane, one of a pilot getting shot at. Right has two cartoons, one of sailors getting mail, one of a pilot with both wings shot.
Page 29: Contains two pages of photocopies Ed Ritter cartoons. Left has two cartoons, one of a sailor sleeping and dreaming of being with his son, one of a pilot shooting at a donkey that reads “A New Assce is born!” Right has two cartoons, one of pilots on a raft in the ocean being rescued by another pilot, one of a pilot landing on the flight deck with other sailors holding up various signs.
Page 30: Contains two newspaper clippings titled Artist-fighter pilot kept carrier’s morale high” and “300 Jap ships // ‘stung’ by carrier”. Below is a “Ulithi Lagoon // Fleet Officers’ Club // Coupon book – value, $3.00”.
Page 31: Contains two newspaper clippings titled “U.S.S. Intrepid // has destroyed // 650 Nip planes” and “Eagles’ Nest, USN.” Taped on top is a “Mighty Marshall Morning Mirror” dated November 10, 1944.
Page 32: Contains one memo dated November 3, 1944 to “All hands, Air Group Eighteen” from “Commander, Air Group Eighteen” regarding the Commander’s reassignment.
Page 33: Contains one newspaper clipping titled “Navy Ace Marries” about Lt. Cecil Harris’ marriage and typed “News from your Navy” release regarding Blankenship being awarded the Flying Cross.
Page 34: Contains one photograph and typed caption that reads “…Lieut. E.G. Blankenship (right), USNR, of Huntsville, // Ark., receives the Distinguished Flying Cross… // Pinning the // decoration on Lieutenant Blankenship is Comdr. Wilson M. Coleman”. See photograph for full text.
Page 35: Contains one photograph and newspaper clipping. Left is official portrait of Blankenship. Right is clipping titled “Lt. E.G. Blankenship // killed in plane crash”.
Page 36: Contains one photograph and typed caption that reads “Lieut. Noel L. Thompson, (right), USNR, of Cahone, Colo., receives // the Silver Star Medal from Capt. John G. Crommelin, Jr., USN”. See photograph for full text.
Page 37: Contains two photographs of large groups of sailors posing in front of a plane.
Page 38: Contains one official portrait of Blankenship in a leather jacket and aviator helmet and goggles.
Page 39: Contains four photographs. Top has two duplicates of a man standing on a plane’s wing. Bottom left is three sailors standing in front of snow. Bottom right is two men standing on the wings of a downed Curtiss SB2C Helldiver numbered “325”.
Page 40: Blank
Page 41: Contains one photograph of a woman and a boy. The back reads “Morton & Roland // Photographers // 1211 N. Highland St. // Glebe 2999 Arlington, VA.” and handwritten “Martha and Gary – 1950”.
Page 42: Blank
Page 43: Contains one photograph of a man sleeping on a sofa.
Page 45: Contains a photograph holder, a Certificate of Satisfactory Service, and two packets of paper clipped together. Holder has “Memories // of San Francisco’s // Backstage // 151 Powell St” on front, reordering information on back, holds a photograph of three sailors, and the interior is signed by Snuffy and Fred from January 6, 1945. One packet is five sheets detailing a “Permanent Citation - Distinguished Flying Cross” from November 4, 1946. One packet is six sheets detailing “Air Medal and permanent citation - transmittal of.” from October 29, 1946. See photograph for full text.
Page 46-48: Blank
Page 49: Contains one color postcard and one Valentine’s Day card. Postcard has a herd of horses in shallow water in front of a pier and is addressed to Gary Holland from Catharine Fish on August 12, 1959. Card has two red birds and birdhouse on front, is signed by “Mr. ‘R’”, and contains a typed insert to Martha from GMR Jr. See photograph for full text.
Page 50-58: Blank
Page 59: Contains one newspaper clipping titled “Air Crash Victim”.
Page 60-100: Blank
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