Author: Chandler, Colonel Horton L. [1898 - 1970]
Title: MILITARY SERVICE ARCHIVE, Ca 1916 - 1960s. ~ 150 Items
Description: Divers places: , divers dates. Includes 3 diaries: 1916, 1918 & 1942. The 1942 diary is written while Chandler was a Colonel assigned to New Guinea, it mentions a Japanese air raid while hiding out in a slit trench, meeting with General Clark preparing anti- aircraft installations etc. etc. The early diaries are filled approx 75-100 pp each. The 1918 diary focuses on his time at Dartmouth University, officer training or ROTC in preparation for his commission as 2nd Lt. His 1916 diary documents his year at Dartmouth and mentions local news at Concord. Military journal training manuals propaganda magazines the majority date from 1942 except for several issues of the Antiaircraft Journal 1951, 1952. Two magazines are Australian publications such as " War in New Guinea official war photographs of the battle for Australia." and "The Battle of WAU." Two issues of Intelligence Bulletin filled with photos, maps, & illustrations. 19 - 8 x 10 photos almost like large contact sheets marked restricted all with captions directly on prints many depict bunkers, large AA guns, battery emplacements etc. 9 - U.S. Army aerial photos showing locations in the Port Moresby area Mt Victoria landing field one marked "Fall River" 1942. 14 - 8 x10 Official US Army Signal Corps glossy photos ( prints)  marked ‘restricted" and/or "confidential" of Antiaircraft installations gun emplacements and radar installations. Photos attached with one sample lower left corner.   30 maps and charts ranging in size from wall maps to small charts aerial  photographic maps of the Philippines and Manila to detailed maps of New Guinea some maps are official United States Army maps a three are National Geographic Maps others are quite unusual. Some maps contain handwritten notations possibly used in the field and others may have been operational command maps while in the Philippines and New Guinea. Several maps are very large wall size. One very large photo album measuring " 10 x 15 " the album includes 600 high quality photographs, some quite large; measuring " 3.5 x 3.5 ", "4 x 4" "5 x 7", "8 x 10" The photos document the entire military career of Col. Chandler during WWII from training in 1940 Virginia & the Texas desert to deployment in Australia, New Guinea, Philippines and finally Japan in 1945.  The scope and quality of the photos in this album is superb all photos have captions and explanations written in bold black ink. Subject matter includes bombed out buildings, abounded Japanese positions,"Negro" troops, battalion at parade, New Guiana natives, Australian troops, AA gun emplacements, training in Texas, Virginia, construction of gun emplacements Australian, civilian population, Jungles scenery, Philippines Occupation of Japan plus many other subjects. Overall condition is Very Good. Some light wear & creases to paper items. Some pages of a few magazines journals are stuck together. Roughly half of the photo album pages are detached, though generally the photos themselves are in very good condition. Loose photos show edge wear some slight creases. The diary bindings are in about Very Good to Very Good Condition. Overall, a respectable archive needing little in the way of conservation. Chandler was a graduate of  Dartmouth University, and member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. Late in 1918 he was called to service, and subsequently commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1919. He eventually completed a long distinguished career in the United States Army and New Hampshire National Guard. Chandler comes from a long line of military men. He is the grandson of  Senator William E. Chandler who also served as United States Secretary of the Navy. Called by some naval historians the "founder of the modern navy,â€� other relatives include John Chandler, a successful East India merchant and his grandfather's younger brother George Chandler, an attorney who served as a major during the Civil War. During WW II Chandler was promoted in rank to Colonel in command of the 197 Coast Artillery AA New Hampshire National Guard, than the 208th Coast Artillery at Port Moresby the 7420 AA Gun Battery and finally the 214th AAA Group in the Pacific Theatre. The time frame for his overseas service is actually quite long 1942-1945. He served in a wide variety of locations such as Australia, Philippines, New Guinea, and Japan. The bulk of this archive focuses on his service in WW II. The archive is truly vast and comprehensive. The archive includes over 600 original photographs, 3 diaries, 3 ledgers, 30 maps & charts, 10 military journals, training manuals, propaganda magazines, Australian photo essays on the war and many associated ephemera items. Some of the items include Chandler's early military induction documents ca 1918-1919, a colorful hand drawn cartoon, news bulletins and U.S. Navy binder filled with photos for a trip aboard visiting a battleship in 1960. Overall, roughly 150 separate items. A truly remarkable archive documenting this one soldier's entire military career, and as such, a valuable primary source for information on miliary service during this half century of service.

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