Evening star., 1927-09-11
NAVY PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION
HAS MANY WAR SCENE PRINTS
P. R. Burke, Curator of Files,
Supplies Historic Pic
tures to Public.
Special Efforts Are Made in
Behalf of Veterans
and Families.

Although the World War ended
nearly nine years ago, the photo
graphic section of the Navy Depart
ment finds that the demand for pic
lures relating to it tends to increase
rather than diminish. The activities
of former service mems organizations
and the American Legion convention
in Paris. turning the minds of veter
ans back to the part they played in
the conflict, are credited with this
The section is also rendering service
along an entirely different line. in sup
plying motion picture companies with
official photographs of the Navy's his
torical ships. so that they may be re-
produced accurately on the screen.
Countless letters have been pouring
into Washington recently from moth.
ers of boys who died in the naval
service, requesting a photograph OF
the ship or station served on. For.
mer Army men. too. want particularly
a picture of the transport they cross
ed to France on, and of vessels form
ing particular convoy. Naturally.
men who wore the Navy blue want to
have n souvenir of ships they did duty
aboard
nave MANY TnOtOSEdpIISs
p. r. Burke, who has actual charge
of the Photographic files of the Navy.
prides himself on the point that the
section makes every effort to obtain a
photograph sought, particularly where
the writer is the mother of boy who
made the supreme sacrifice. There
are $4,000 photographs in the navel
archives, dating from ITS to the pres
nri% Of fx,hiNf, dnol
with the World War. Current naval
history is being recorded by the cam
era, as we'll as by writer's, and the Sec
ton is under the command of Capt.
D. w. Knox, aided by Comdr. Rich.
ard Wainwright. Both are retired
officers.
The section officially started during
the war, under an order of Secretary
Josephus Daniels. although a nucleus
for 1t had been formed by old photo.
graphs that had come into possession
of the Navy Department through va
rious channels. Captains were wont
to contribute pictures of their vessels
or crews; publishers aided in supplying
offerings: donations were made to the
naval library, often by widows of
naval men and by officers and men of
the service on active duty or in the re-
serve. WIN the pLdCliS VI idFti
photographs on an organized basis,
the work took a squirt forward and
now $4,000 photographs of every imag-
Unable subject have been mounted on
cards and cross indexed, so that one
Is readily located.
Official photographers aboard naval
vessels and on shore stations aided in
compiling the large Photographic IL
brary and now the airplane has come
to be a valuable ally in the task.
One of the most interesting of the
subjects embraced within the photo
graphic section is the collection of
German victory ribbons, of many col
ors, secured from the American en-
bassy in Paris. These ribbons were
sold on tag days to commemorate the
feat of some naval officer who secured
a noteworthy victory and the proceeds
went to the German and Austrian Red
Cross and war relief societies.
Charts I'm Collection.
Old charts from colonial times form
an outstanding part of the archives.
The sections biggest task was aiding