Our project purchased a collection of images and a large number of unknown negatives from a dealer who had found them at an auction, and was uncertain what they contained. In the end there were over 500 images from the CBI, most in China, many in Yunnan province, probably at the Luliang air base and some at Chanyi (Zhanyi), a few might be Lingling, in Hunan. The images cover a range of daily sights, including both the life on the American air base (including some brutal airplane part salvage techniques), and also among the Chinese people the Americans interacted with or saw near the base. Some of these images are striking in their ability to capture of a moment in time in lives of the local people.
We do not know who the photographer and collector was (he labeled several images as 'me,' as in the image above). We all calling these the 'Roubinek' images, but only since among the collection was a newspaper clipping showing a gravestone with that name on it. A few stateside photos may be of Davenport, Iowa, and many of the photos were printed at the "Universal Photo Service" in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Many of the images seem from quite late in the war, given the type of aircraft and other equipment visible in the images. One Chinese tombstone in one image seems to be engraved with the date in the summer of "the 33th year of the Republic" which would be 1944. If anyone can add information on these images then please contact us. Thanks!
In this image, the slogan behind him on the wall says "Kill the Japanese, restore the country." (杀倭复国)
