If a picture can paint a thousand words then a new book on military photography of the South Pacific has a lot to say on the subject.
Tour of Paradise: an American Soldier in the South Pacific tells the story of Quartermaster Corporal Elmer J. Williams through the photographs he captured during his tour of the Pacific in WWII.
The never before seen images of an ordinary soldier’s life in the extraordinary surroundings of the South Pacific are coupled with a collection of essays and short stories by leading academics.
The book’s editor, Dr Prue Ahrens from The University of Queensland, said the photographs revealed just how much information could be obtained from a personal album.
“The album offers a different perspective on war photography,” she said.
“These photos were taken by a non-combatant in a safe zone. They don’t contain any of the horror of typical war photography. It’s a different take on war photography.”
Corporal Williams, an American soldier stationed in the South Pacific during WWII, photographed his experiences on the island of New Caledonia in 1944. He was 21-years-old when he was sent to the Pacific.
Tour of Paradise contains 50 of Corporal Williams’ 400 large print images, which highlight the impact of American soldiers and culture on the island landscape, and the interactions between US troops and the local people.
“The photographs are different from your usual war photography and propaganda shots,” Dr Ahrens said.
“They are as much about Americans in the South Pacific, and the meeting of Western and Pacific cultures, as military exercise.
“Some of the photographs picture military ceremony and GIs on duty, but really the vast majority of the photographs appear as tourist snapshots.
“Many of the photographs subscribe to romantic clichés about the South Pacific, palm trees and sunsets that we see in tourist imagery.”
Dr Ahrens, a lecturer in Art History at UQ’s School of English, Media Studies and Art History, came across the photographs by chance after meeting their new owner at a conference.
“It’s extremely rare to find an album intact. The odd photograph taken by soldiers during the Second World War in the Pacific you can find, but to come across a complete album is very unusual,” she said.
The photographs are currently on display as part of a worldwide travelling exhibition that will reach Australia in late 2006 or early 2007.
Dr Ahrens said many of the photographs simply showed the soldiers at leisure, including football and baseball games and socialising at the local bar, which became known as “little America”.
She said that the photos were a partial view of military life in the South Pacific.
“I think it’s important to bear in mind that Williams was selective with what he photographed, as are all photographers, consciously or otherwise,” she said.
“These photographs were put into envelopes and sent back to the US. So they reveal what Williams wanted the folks back home to see.
“The majority of them picture Williams and his friends looking well and happy in this exotic landscape. They would have offered tremendous comfort for worried parents and family during war time.”
Tour of Paradise is on sale now, published by Vulgar Press.
Media: for more information, contact Dr Prue Ahrens (telephone 07 3365 2710, email p.ahrens@uq.edu.au) or Chris Saxby at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2479, email c.saxby@uq.edu.au).
Images are available from Diana Lilley (telephone 07 3365 2753, email d.lilley@uq.edu.au).
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