Photographs related to France during World War II and the Free French Forces, ca. 1941-1945

PXE 1397
ON 505 Boxes 1-2

fonds

ca. 1941-1945

Graphic Materials, Photographs, Ephemera

902249

79 negatives - , black & white; 13 x 10 cm each - 5x4&quot
106 photo reproductions - 23 x 16 cm or smaller - on paper, black & white
422 photographs - 30.5 39 cm or smaller - black & white
16 negatives - 16 x 12 cm each - glass plate, black & white

Le Courrier Australien is the longest-running foreign language newspaper in Australia, founded in 1892. It is a monthly publication, published in Sydney. During World War II, the Courrier Australien became the mouthpiece of the local Free French Movement.

This pictorial material is part of the Le Courrier Australien papers, 1925-1965, papers at MLMSS 2587 ADD-ON 1851.

Section titles originally written in French and have been translated into English.

PXE 1397

Item 1
‘Troops and Units of Free France’
27 black & white photographs
Photographs depict Free French Colonial Troops, Air Force, Marines, Cavalry and Cadets going into action in England, Egypt, Tobruk and Abyssinia; Free French Cruiser and stolen German plane by Free French; Cadet Philip De Gaulle (son of the General), General Le Gentilhomme and review of the troops by General De Gaulle.

Item 2
‘Photos of De Gaulle’
228 black & white photographs of General De Gaulle, most captioned in French or English. Contains duplicates.
Some captions on verso include: Strategy conference in North Africa President Roosevelt meets Mr Churchill; King sees United Nations Day Parade; Churchill, De Gaulle meet at Marakesh; Review and parade of troops fighting for France; General De Gaulle and M. Soustelle, Commissioner for the Center of National Information in France meeting some newly-arrived volunteers; General De Gaulle inspects French boy cadets; General De Gaulle visits Morocco; Madame Elizabeth De Gaulle; General De Gaulle decorates fighting French heroes returned from Middle East; Queen Mary visits the General in London, and so on.

Item 3
‘British Official Photographs’
5 photographs mounted with detailed captions.
‘They fight for Free France’; ‘With the Free French Navy’; ‘French Airmen with the R.A.F. go into action’ British War Office photograph; ‘R.A.F. teaching young French men to fly’;
‘Prime Minister at Tank Demonstration’.

Item 4
‘Proofs of photographs showing General De Gaulle and his family’
105 copy prints of photos in preparation for publication, many duplicated from photographs contained in Wallet 2.

Item 5
‘Free France North Africa, Noumea’
44 photographs depicting the Free French Air Unit in Libya, General Alexander decorating Free French Officer Bir Hacheim, ‘French Legion’ German Army fighting against Russia, Radio Noumea speaker Mr Laborde, the Courrier Australien Sydney office, and so on.

Item 6
‘Insignia of the Free France Unit’
4 photographs of the insignia for the Free French Movement, predominately of the 35 Regiment of Artillery Division (French of Cameroun).

Item 7
‘War Photos – Bombing in France and Liberation’
99 photographs, most with English or French captions, depicting men of the Maquis occupying Oyonnax (Ain); Secretary General of the War Commission Lieutenant-General Souques; Aerial and ground photos of R.A.F. raid on Le Havre and Renault Factory Paris when in Nazi hands; the F.F.I. and their weapons; a French Soldier returning to his family; Parisians salute victory; liberated French civilians welcome American troops; Attack on St. Nazaire, and so on.

Item 8
‘Photos of the Liberation of Laval, Normandy, 6 August, 1944’
35 large photographs depicting scenes of the rebirth of French town Laval, Normandy.


ON 505

Box 1
16 black & white glass plate negatives in total;
1. 12 plates depicting the ‘Sciences’
2. 3 plates depicting the ‘Resistance’

Box 2
79 5x4” black & white negatives in total (originally housed in negative boxes)
1. 2 negatives titled ‘Sciences’
2. 7 negatives titled ‘Land and People’ and 6 titled ‘French at Home’
3. 10 negatives titled ‘Colonial’ and ‘Miscellaneous’
4. 13 negatives titled ‘Sciences: Films, Portraits and Experiments’
5. 41 negatives titled ‘Free French: Army, Navy, Air, Nursery’.

Access via appointment - Applies to ON 505

Out of copyright: Created before 1955.
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Pic.Acc. Upgrade Project -- Information transferred from Pic.Acc.6611 as part of the eRecords Project 2012-13

Good condition