African American Military History World War II U.S. Navy Service of Black Sailors including George Bailey Brooks at Great Lakes Naval Training Station

WWII African American in the Navy

Photograph

African American U.S. Navy sailors photographed during World War II document the service of Black enlisted men in the segregated naval forces of the United States during the global conflict of 1939–1945. Eleven photographs depict African American sailors in uniform,some of them have signed their names below their images, including multiple images of recruit George Bailey Brooks stationed at Great Lakes Naval Training Station near Chicago, one of the principal training centers for Black naval recruits during the war. The photographs record both formal studio portraits and candid scenes of naval life, providing visual evidence of Black participation in the wartime Navy at a moment when most leadership and combat roles remained racially restricted despite the rapidly expanding wartime demand for manpower.

Eleven silver gelatin photographs showing African American sailors in U.S. Navy uniforms during the World War II era. Photographs measure approximately 4 x 3.25 inches to 8 x 10 inches and include a mixture of studio portraits and informal service photographs. Four photographs depict sailor George Bailey Brooks at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, including three portrait images and one image of Brooks standing upright in uniform holding a training rifle. One portrait bears the date Aug 4, 1945. Five photographs remain mounted to fragments of tan album paper on the verso, suggesting removal from an earlier family or personal album. Additional images show young sailors posed at attention with training rifles and one photograph depicts a mixed gathering of white and Black sailors aboard a ship watching a band performance featuring three Black musicians playing double bass, piano, and guitar.

World War II transformed the scale of African American participation in the U.S. Navy, although the service remained largely segregated in both training and assignment. Training installations such as Great Lakes Naval Training Station became major entry points for Black recruits and also hosted the first class of Black naval officers known as the “Golden Thirteen,” commissioned in 1944 after training at the base. Most Black sailors during the war were initially assigned to steward or service roles, though the demands of the Pacific War led to expanded participation in construction battalions, logistics units, and specialized technical assignments such as the Seabees. The photographs of Brooks and other sailors in uniform capture this transitional moment in naval history when African Americans were entering naval service in unprecedented numbers while still confronting institutional segregation that would remain in place until President Harry S. Truman ordered desegregation of the armed forces in 1948 through Executive Order 9981. Eleven photographs ranging in size from approximately 4 x 3.25 inches to 8 x 10 inches. Light handling wear and minor age toning typical of mid twentieth century photographs. Overall condition very good.

Item #19188

Price: $1,250.00