Loading...
Creator
Harris, Charles E., 1923-1996
Call number
Sc MG 767
Physical description
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Charles E. Harris World War II memorabilia collection, Sc MG 767, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

During World War II, Charles Edward Harris was in the all-Black 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, whose duty was the procurement, storage, and distribution of ammunition. The Charles E. Harris World War II memorabilia collection includes two handwritten and typed histories of the 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, love letters, two handkerchiefs, and a booklet.

Biographical/historical information

Charles Edward Harris was born in 1923 in Philadelphia. During World War II, Harris was in the all-Black 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, whose duty was the procurement, storage, and distribution of ammunition. He served in France, Belgium, Germany, and England from 1943-1945. As a bomb reconnaissance non-commissioned officer, he was trained as a demolition specialist and a platoon scout for mines. Upon his discharge, he became a tailor and furrier in New York City, and he and a partner opened their own shop in 1971. Harris died in 1996.

Scope and arrangement

The Charles E. Harris World War II memorabilia collection includes two handwritten and typed histories of the 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company maintained by Harris's commanding officer, Captain Jack Carstarphen. These histories discuss the company's battles in France and Germany, awards received for heroic actions in France, numbers of enlisted men and officers, and related information. The collection also includes documents pertaining to the aforementioned battle and a booklet entitled "Flaming Bomb: The Story of Ordnance in the ETO" concerning the significance of ordnance companies in the European Theater of Operation. Certificates, Harris's sketch of an explosive device, a hand-drawn map of an area in Belgium in 1944, two handkerchiefs (one with a map of Brussels and the other, a military handkerchief, showing flags of the Allies and Belgium), and love letters from girlfriends complete this collection.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Sandra Harris, November 2006.

Revision History

Finding aid updated by Lauren Stark. (2020 October 13)

Separated material

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor