Going through my dad's photos

[Colonel]

We have been going through my dad's photos in the months since he died (July 2009 at the age of 95). His secondary assignment during the war was as a photographer's mate (primary task was the ship's meteorologist on a sea plane tender - the USS Cumberland Sound). This one is actually post-war (1952), but I really like the looks of the photo with the straight into the lens look.

There are plenty of photos from all facets of the war - from life aboard ship to a Japanese plane flying low over burning buildings in Saipan, to Pacific Island natives, to Hiroshima, to Tokyo during the occupation. I sure wish I knew about them so I could ask questions.

 

[Rookie1]

The same thing happened to me when my grandfather died. We found a shoebox full of pics with nothing written on them. My family has no idea what they are or who is in them. Its a shame. If anybody has relatives still alive they should get them to put captions with photos so there meaning is not lost.

 

[MisterCairo]

Excellent advice, that I'd often thought of, and acted on, somewhat, before my father died. We managed to get some info on many photos, but not all, and his own memory had faded on certain images (names particularly of guys he served with).

We are now going through pictures with my mum, though she has far fewer as her family had a tough time growing up, with little money for photography.

 

[Story]

The same thing happened to me when my grandfather died. We found a shoebox full of pics with nothing written on them. My family has no idea what they are or who is in them. Its a shame. If anybody has relatives still alive they should get them to put captions with photos so there meaning is not lost.

One trick to try and recover the past is to create a website with the images scanned in with whatever information you do know about them captioned below.
Then you send out links to all the veterans and WWII history forums, inviting folks to take a look at them. Someone might know someone who can add something...