Description
The Visitor’s Log from RAF Bovingdon in 1946, signed by 150 dignitaries traveling into the post-World War II occupied territories of Europe.
Quarto, 152pp. Gray cloth, title handwritten in black ink on cover. Light soiling to front cover, a few spots of foxing to cloth. Internally clean. Includes multiple pages of printed notes from a previous owner, identifying signatures from this work.
This visitor log is signed by nearly 150 dignitaries who traveled through RAF Bovingdon, including the following: President Herbert Hoover, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Averell Harriman, Gen. Lucius Clay, King Peter of Yugoslavia, Actress Mary Pickford, Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris, Brig. Gen. Charles Y. Banfill, Chinese diplomat Wellington Koo, Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, Stanley K. Hornbeck, Gen. Ira C. Eaker, Gen. George C. Kenney, Gen. Harold R. Jackson, Prince Charles of Sweden, Sen. Tom Connally, and numerous more.
RAF Bovingdon was located in Hertfordshire, England, operational from 1942 to 1972. It was built during World War II and served as the home base for the USAAF’s Eighth Air Force, notably hosting B-17 Flying Fortress units. General Eisenhower’s personal B-17 was housed at the base during the war. RAF Bovingdon also served as the hub for Eastern Air Transport Services (EATS), which transported dignitaries into the European Theater, such as Herbert Hoover, whom President Truman dispached to Europe to assess food needs in occupied territories. The airfield also became a location for film productions in the 1960s before its eventual closure in 1972. Provenance: Luis Porretta Fine Arts, Nanaimo, B.C., 2003.
