Athletes at war... let's see some wartime memorabilia

[JimmyC]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I used to have more of this type of stuff. These three are all that remain,

The DiMaggio photo with the hottie in a striped dress I have never seen before - great period era photo!

[Exhibitman]

Black servicemen's team, The Brown Bombers.



HOFer Kid Williams as a trainer during WWI



HOFer Packey McFarland doing the same:



HOFer Benny Leonard, who enlisted, on a goodwill tour at Camp Kearney, near San Diego, in 1918:



Jeff Dickson was an American boxing promoter in Europe in the interwar period, elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000. This British 1930s RPPC shows him with fellow HOFers Thil and Brown. In 1943, Capt. Jeff Dickson was killed in action over Germany while serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II.



Joe Louis visited Camp Beale during WWII and the California-based military installation issued a series of postcards to commemorate the visit. This one shows him with Sugar Ray Robinson. I have seen four different; there are apparently at least 11 since all are numbered.



WWII era premium of Jack Dempsey, autographed. You see quite a few of these around, relatively speaking, though not always signed. They were given to sailors who completed basic training in Dempsey's coast guard program in New York. The image is a classic Apeda shot of Dempsey from the 1920s.



Final, and a bit of a twist. These are 2000 calendar cards of the Klitschko brothers from Ukraine. They are currently serving in the armed forces fighting the invading Russians.

[Topnotchsy]

I love this thread. It's an area of focus for me and I have quite a few programs and other items related to WWII baseball. If anyone has anything they would be open to sell or trade, I'd be happy to discuss.

The centerpiece of my collection is the final pitch thrown in the clinching game of the 1945 Navy All-Star tournament. It is signed by Stan Musial and others on the team. A notably rare signature from that era; Wimpy Quinn also signed. It originated in the personal collection of catcher Bob Scheffing.

[EddieP]

I have a War Gum card that features my grandmother’s cousin. But the card is not politically correct ( it has a racial slur).