Ronald Beck scrapbook of Royal Air Force service and travel memorabilia : manuscript.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Beck, George Ronald Kinloch, 1907-1993, compiler.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain Royal Air Force.

Great Britain.

Voyages and travels.

World War, 1939-1945.

Europe--Description and travel.

Europe.

Africa--Description and travel.

Africa.

Genre:

Albums (Books)

Manuscripts, English -- 20th century.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Bamfords Auctioneers & Valuers (Derby and Bakewell, England), 2020.

Physical Description:

1 volume (320 pages) ; 39 x 27 cm + 10 items.

Production:

England, 1942-1969.

Biography/History:

George Ronald Kinloch Beck was an officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was born in Chester, England, in early 1907 to James Beck and M. H. K. Beck. Little is known about George Beck's life beyond what can be gleaned from his wartime service and a few trips to Europe and Africa that he took later in his life. In the Royal Air Force, he achieved the rank of Squadron Leader and worked primarily in operations. Earlier in the war he was stationed in England; but following D-Day, he appears to have been stationed initially in France and then in northern Italy, as part of "No. 1, M. O. R. U." or Mobile Operations Room Unit. He kept a variety of letters from servicemen that expressed appreciation for how well he looked after them during their time with him. Following the war, Beck traveled to Switzerland in 1955 for a ski vacation. Later in 1955 or 1956, he traveled to France, Italy, and Spain, in what appears to be a typical tourist holiday. Finally, in 1969 he traveled to Kenya and Tanzania for a safari-style excursion. George Beck died in November, 1993, in Shropshire, England.

Summary:

This scrapbook documents George Beck's time as an officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, but also contains material from trips he took later in his life. About 20 pages of photographs, correspondence, clippings, and other memorabilia document his military service from 1942 to 1945. Another 49 pages of photographs, photographic post cards, maps, itineraries, and brochures document trips to Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, and Africa, from 1955 to 1969. A significant gap of blank pages separates the Second World War material from his later trips. Most pages are in good condition, but some material (ten items) has come loose and has been placed in a separate folder. There is evidence that other original material that came loose may have been lost. This volume is bound in half leather and there are blank pages between p. 22 and 130 and between p. 183 and 320.

Cited as:

Ronald Beck Scrapbook, (Ms. Coll. 1543). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.