Speaking of Passion…
When I began the project in 2014 to photograph WWII "bomber jackets," little did I know how much passion the subject ignites in collectors, military buffs, and family members of WWII veterans. To say that it can be intense would be an understatement.
I suppose one of the best examples of this was when in 2015 two family members drove from Iowa to Atlanta (approximately 850 miles!) to bring me a jacket and several artifacts to photograph. Not only was SSG Harvey Brundage's A-2 jacket photographed, but also several other artifacts of this time in the 401st Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group.
According to his grand-daughter, Harvey was already married and had a child when he enlisted, eventually becoming a B-17 waist gunner. By definition then, this made him an "old man" compared to his fellow crewmen...someone with real responsibilities back home. He finished his tour with 30 missions completed over occupied Europe, and I was told that he built his own home after safely returning home to his family.
Always good with his hands, Harvey carved military aircraft models from broken pieces of bomber windshield's, and it was truly a surprise when they began pulling them out of their wrapping.
Another surprise came when they pulled out a large panoramic print of this unit, taken in June of 1944. It depicts a lone B-17, with squadron member's positioned on the wings, engine nacelles, inside the nose, atop the fuselage, spread down both wings, and under the aircraft. It must've been a raw, cold day as many men are wearing jackets, with some wearing gloves. I learned last year during a visit to the American Air Museum in Duxford, England that the same aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision 4 days later while on a mission, with the resulting loss of all 20 crewmen.
401st Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, June 1944, England.
This passion for preserving family history was not unique to Harvey's family. Virtually everyone that I came in contact with who had a family member's jacket treasured it zealously, and were proud to have it photographed for the book. I was more than happy to oblige.
SSG Brundage and his crew, all wearing A-2 jackets. Harvey is in the center, back row. Probably at a training base in the US, prior to their deployment to England.
