2014-2019 marks the centennial Anniversary of World War I. To commemorate this event the Special Collections and Archives of Wright State University has gathered materials related to World War I from its collections. This series contains many letters, diaries, photographs, and other ephemera from Ohio natives. The creators of these materials give the user a glimpse at the impact of World War I from a unique and individual perspective. Though these materials often record factual data, a closer inspection will often reveal content of a more personal nature.
The World War I Collections include materials from the following series:
Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Photographs (MS-152)
The 91st Observation Squadron Photographs (MS-293)
Palmer Coombs WWI Materials: Diaries and Papers (MS-293)
Fred F. Marshall Papers (MS-53)
World War I Glass Plate Stereoviews (MS-457)
War Camp Community Service Song Sheet (SC-174)
For more information on these collections, please visit Wright State University Special Collections and Archives. For more information about the Centennial Anniversary of World War I please visit The United States World War One Centennial Commission.
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Exterior view of Plant 3 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the exterior view of Plant 3 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, circa 1918. The image is of the front of the building with snow covering the ground. Other buildings are visible in the background. The title of the negative is "The Dayton Wright Airplane Co. Dayton, Ohio. Plant No. 3."
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Exterior view of Plant 3 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company April 3, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The exterior view of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company's Plant 3 is visible in the photographic print. An early automobile is seen in the right background of the photograph while two United States Army soldiers stand guard at the entrances to the plant. The United States flag, the flag of Great Britain, and an unidentified flag fly over the plant. The title on the negative is listed as "Dayton-Wright Airplane Plant 3 - Apr. 3-18."
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Exterior view of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 1
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the exterior of Plant 1 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, circa 1918. An early truck can be seen parked in front of the building. Similar image to MS152_193.
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Exterior view of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 1
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the exterior view of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company plant 1, circa 1918. Outside a soldier stands guard with a rifle while construction workers are working nearby. Inside the factory doors a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company employee works on a De Havilland DH-4.
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Exterior view of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 2
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the outside of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 2, circa 1918. Employees of the company can be seen through the open windows working inside the plant. Employees also work outside the plant near a railroad car. Two railroad cars are parked outside the plant labeled as New York Central Lines Automobile M.C.R.R. 64993 and New York Central Lines N.Y.C. 242672. The grounds around the building are landscaped and plants are arranged in a star shape at the base of the flag pole.
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Female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company attach fabric to the skeleton of a De Havilland DH-4 wing at the Cloth Assembly Department
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company attaching fabric to the skeleton of a De Havilland DH-4 wing, circa 1918. The women use tack hammers and tacks to attach the fabric to the wood. In the background other employees of the company are visible. Wings that have been covered are stored in racks at the back of the room and another wing skeleton is visible on the side. A sign in the background reads "Cloth Assembly Bulletin."
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Female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company attach fabric to the skeleton of an aircraft wing
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company attaching fabric to the skeleton of an aircraft wing, circa 1918. The women use needles and thread to attach the fabric to the wing. They have spotlights to help brighten the area. The title of the negative is "Dayton Wright Airplane" and labeled 33.
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Female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company working on the skeleton of an aircraft wing at Plant 1 February 23, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photographic print shows female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company working on the skeleton of an aircraft wing at Plant 1. The women use various tools to adjust the skeleton of the wing. In the background other employees work on other aircraft wing skeletons. The title of the photograph is "Dayton Wright Airplane Co. Dayton Ohio. Plant 1. Feb. 23-18." and labeled 30.
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Female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company work in the Motor Department of Plant 1 July 1, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company working on Liberty Engines for the De Havilland DH-4 in the Motor Department at Plant 1. In the background a United States flag hangs from the rafters and other employees are working on other tasks. The title of the negative is "The Dayton-Wright Airplane Co. Plant-1. -Motor Dept. -July 1-18." and labeled 13.
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Female employees sewing material in the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 1, February 23, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
Five female employees use sewing machines to join fabric for aircraft production in the photograph taken at the Dayton Wright Airplane Company Plant 1. The title on the negative is "Dayton Wright Airplane Co. Dayton, Ohio. Plant 1. Feb. 23-18."
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Female employees work on a wing section while military personnel watch at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows six female employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company sewing the fabric to the wing skeleton. A United States Army soldier watches as the women work. Next to the soldier is a sign that reads, "Right Aileron" and a poster from the Red Cross that is titled, "You Help Stop these Midnight Murders". This image was taken circa 1918.
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Final wing department of Plant 1 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company April 1, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Final Wing Department of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company is the focus of the photograph. The parts for the completed wings can be seen throughout the image. In the background sections of the wings rest upright against a wall and the various star patterns can be seen painted on the ends. The title of the negative is "Dayton-Wright Airplane Plant 1. - Final Wing Dept. Apr. 1-18." and is labeled as D64.
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Fire engine in front of a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company factory
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
A fire engine with a steam powered pump sits in front of a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company factory, circa 1918. The fire crew works and stands with employees around the rig. A charged line is attached to the pump and steam pours out of the top of the pump. Through a window near the entry way a sign reads "Please do not smoke." Another sign gives directions to visitors.
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Flare dispenser and navigation lights on a De Havilland DH-4 at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company South Field April 15, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photographic print shows the flare dispenser and navigation lights attached to the wing of a De Havilland DH-4 airplane. The airplane is at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company South Field where aircraft were tested. The photograph is titled "Dayton Wright Airplane South Field - Apr.-15-18."
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Fuselage Department of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 1 April 11, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the fuselage department located in Plant 1 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company. Employees of Dayton-Wright work around the cockpit area of the De Havilland DH-4s. The De Havilland DH-4s have the Liberty 12 cylinder engine exposed and the landing gear is attached to the front fuselage. In the background female employees are working. The title on the negative states "Dayton Wright Airplane Plant-1. Fuselage-Apr. 11-18." and is labeled 17.
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Fuselage Department of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant-1, April 1, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the fuselage department of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company located in Plant 1. The fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 in various stages of production can be seen throughout the image. In the foreground two DH-4s with engines, radiators, and the fuselage are visible. Behind these is a DH-4 that is nearly complete and one that has the Liberty Engine installed but no radiator. The fuselages in the background show the engine mounts but do not have the engine installed yet. A soldier and Dayton-Wright Airplane Company employees are visible. The title of the photograph is labeled as "The Dayton Wright Airplane Co. Fuselage - Apr. 1-18" and marked as D52.
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Fuselage of a De Havilland DH-4 with the tail section attached at a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company factory
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The fuselage of a De Havilland DH-4 sits on a table marked Operation Number 3 in a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company factory, circa 1918. The tail section is attached to the fuselage, however, the tail is not completely covered and assembled. In the background, extra parts for the tail section are visible as well as the brackets for mounting the Liberty Engine. A United States of America flag is hung in an office above the operation and a nearby post is labeled 268. The negative is titled "Dayton Wright Airplane" and labeled as 9.
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Fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 packed in a shipping crate at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows a De Havilland DH-4 that is packed in a shipping crate at a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company factory, circa 1918. The aircraft has a Scarff ring attached and is secured in the shipping crate. Other parts of the aircraft are being packed in shipping crates and crates that are finished are visible to the right side of the image and one is labeled 32065. Tools, airplane parts, and other materials are visible throughout the photograph. In the background employees of Dayton-Wright work on a Standard J-1 training aircraft. The negative is titled "Dayton-Wright Airplane" and labeled 42.
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Fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 showing the interior with the electrical components at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the interior of the fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, circa 1918. The fuselage has one side supported on sawhorses. The view shows the electrical wiring of the fuselage from front to back. By the first cockpit a box is visible and is marked "off, two men, one man" and two wires run from the box leading to the different cockpits. Next to the box is a small control panel that controls the lights of the airplane and the heating elements for the clothes and guns. Found at the rear cockpit is another space to plug in guns and clothes. In the background a completed De Havilland DH-4 is visible with a set of twin Lewis guns mounted on the Scarff ring, twin Marlin machine guns at the pilots cockpit, and navigation lights are visible. The negative is titled "Dayton Wright Airplane" and labeled 38.
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Fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 showing the interior with various components visible at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 set up on pallets at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, circa 1918. At the right side of the fuselage is the engine mount where the Liberty Engine will be attached. Moving left is the first cockpit where the pilot will sit. At the pilot's cockpit a flare gun is visible on the wall, the control stick used to direct the airplane is in the center, the wheel is the pitch control in the front cockpit which is used to actuate a vertical jack screw at the rear stabilizer spar connected by a cable loop. Beside the flare gun is the fuel control valve. Above the fuel control valve is the throttle and at the very top is the air pressure pump. The pilot's seat belt is hanging on the side of the fuselage. Further left on the fuselage is the second cockpit with a control stick and the seat. Hanging on the wall is the bombsites. In the background is an employee of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company helping to hold a backdrop cloth. The photograph is taken outside on a railroad loading dock and a railroad boxcar is visible. The title of the photograph is "Dayton Wright Airplane" and is labeled 39.
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Fuselage Score Board, Dayton-Wright Airplane Company November 4, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photographic print shows a Fuselage Score Board for the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company. The board has the first section listed as "Previous High Score 37, Today's Score 39, Yesterday's Score 9." The date listed on the board is Nov. 4-18.
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Fuselage side for the De Havilland DH-4 at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The interior side of the fuselage of the De Havilland DH-4 is the main subject of the photograph at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, circa 1918. The fuselage has the electrical wire attached. Near the second cockpit at the far right of the photograph are two levers. In the background woodworking tools can be seen on a table. Two employees of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company work in the background under a United States flag hanging from the rafters and a sign that reads, "Do Not Obstruct" hangs on the wall. The negative is labeled as 104.
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Fuselages of the De Havilland DH-4 at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The fuselages of the De Havilland DH-4 are set up on sawhorses in this photograph taken in a Dayton-Wright Airplane Company factory circa 1918. Employees of Dayton-Wright work on the fuselages throughout the image. The fuselages do not have any components installed. In the background employees attach landing gear to a DH-4. The negative is titled "Dayton-Wright Airplane" and is labeled 11.
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Fuselages of the De Havilland DH-4 in a circle outside of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Plant 1
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the fuselages of the De Havilland DH-4 outside of Plant 1 of the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company in a circle, circa 1918. The aircraft lack wings and most of the Liberty Engines are exposed. Early automobiles can be seen in the foreground. In the background residential buildings can be seen and one barn has a painted sign on it that reads "For best results use Lowe Bros Paints."
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Fuselages of the Standard J-1 training aircraft at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Fuselage Department January 15, 1918
The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company
The photograph shows the fuselage of the Standard J-1 training aircraft at the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Fuselage Department. The fuselages are painted and have the identification numbers on the sides. The motors have been installed with propellers attached and landing gear attached that has three tires. The fuselages in the front have the radiator installed but the other fuselages toward the back of the room do not. The title of the negative is "The Dayton Wright Airplane Co. Fuselage - Jan. 15-18."
