Charles Harrison Fowler scrapbook - Philadelphia Area Archives (2024)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Call Number:: Ms. Coll 1588
Repository:: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Extent:: 1 volume
Language:: English
Preferred Citation:: Charles Harrison Fowler scrapbook, 1943-1946, Ms. Coll. 1588, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania
Date:: 1943-1946 (inclusive)
Creator:: Fowler, Charles H., Corporal (Charles Harrison), 1924-1997
Form:: Albums (books) and gelatin silver prints
Abstract:: Charles Harrison Fowler (1924-1997) was one of the first 400 Black American men to join the 52nd Marine Defense Battalion during World War II. This scrapbook consists of material relating to Fowler's basic training at the Camp LeJeune Marine Base in North Carolina; his service as a Corporal Officer with the all-Black 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions in the Pacific Theater; and his transition back to civilian status after the war, in 1946.

Charles Harrison Fowler was born on January 26, 1924, in Alton, Illinois to O Fowler and Sadie Mann. Little is known about Fowler's early life, but census records show that he moved to Pasadena, California by the time he was six, in 1930. Ten years later, he was living in Los Angeles, California and had already completed his first year of high school.

Charles enlisted in the Marines in 1943, two years after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawai'i and the U.S.'s official entry into World War II. As a member of the 52nd Defense Battalion, Fowler served in the Marshall Islands protecting two Marine aircraft groups and native islanders from Japanese Air Force incursions. In April 1946, the Marines Corps honorably discharged Charles, moving him from active-duty status to the Reserves.

By 1950, Fowler had moved to Detroit, Michigan where he found employment in the automobile industry. It is unknown whether he married or had children after the war. Charles Harrison Fowler died on December 4, 1997, in Detroit.

National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940; Year: 1940; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Roll: m-t0627-00430; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 60-1243

National Archives in Washington DC; Washington, DC, USA; NAI Title: U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1893-1958; NAI Number: Nara Microform Publication T977; Record Group Number: Record Group 127; Record Group Title: Records of the U.S. Marine Corps

Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), created, 1936 - 2007, documenting the period 1936 – 2007. - Record Group 47

Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index 1935-2014, Master File

"The Marine Corps." Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II, The National WWII Museum, Inc., 2015, https://righttofightexhibit.org/during-war/marines.php.

This volume contains 129 photographs, over 40 documents related to Charles Fowler's military service, and ephemera. Charles Harrison Fowler (1924-1997) was one of the first 400 Black American men to join the 52nd Marine Defense Battalion during World War II (Nalty).

*WARNING: Some photographs feature human remains.*

The front cover of the scrapbook is a red, fringed banner with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) emblem and patches for the all-Black 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions.

There are photographs which document Charles Fowler's personal and professional relationships as a young Marine. One of them features Charles, nicknamed "Chuck" in the caption, in uniform with his arm around a woman named Ada. Other photographs capture the daily life for new Marines at basic training camp and Charles, ranked as a Corporal Officer, with his platoon. He also documented the aftermath of battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Mariana and Marshall Islands. Several of these images show human remains of Japanese soldiers.

The Marine Corps documents include Charles Fowler's certificates for "Honorable Satisfactory Service", a USMC Motor Vehicle Operator permit, and Selective Service registration; letters from the American Veterans Committee (AVC), Veterans Administration, and District Rehabilitation officer, W. B. Jackson, offering Charles transitional support back to civilian life; an application from the US Forces Institute for "Credit for Educational Achievement During Military Service" and Fowler's Report of Separation, which details his record of service and future plans for life after active military duty; and membership cards for the USMC and AVC.

Ephemeral materials include a souvenir folder from the Camp LeJeune Marine Base; a love poem entitled, "Darling"; newspaper clippings from Navy News about the war and military athletic competitions; "Indoctrination of Marines for Returning to the US" and "Intelligence Quiz" flyers; Imperial Japanese paper money; pamphlets about veterans' rights and USMC's restricted "Individual Battle Doctrine"; and various keepsakes like a "Navy time and ship's bell" schedule, a pay grade chart, and a timeline that features guns from past U.S. wars.

Sold by Hindman Auctions (Cincinnati, OH), 2023.

Charles Harrison Fowler scrapbook - Philadelphia Area Archives (2024)

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