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Naval History and Heritage Command

2018.13 Thomas Burke Collection

Collection of 188 photographs related to the donor’s father, LT Peter J. Burke, circa 1942-1945. Burke served as Entertainment Director at naval bases in San Diego and Monterey (US Naval Training School), CA. Most, but not all, photographs were taken at those locations. Specific subject matter consists of dances, musical concerts, singers, and USO shows with stars such as Bob Hope, Harry James, Ish Kabibble, Rudy Vallee, and Mickey Rooney performing. Images related to special sporting events such as tennis, diving, and boxing exhibitions highlight additional entertainment which was also performed for sailors and the general public. Also included are images of ship’s company parties. Much of the events that took place in Monterey were held at the Hotel Del Monte, which was leased to the Navy during WWII and would go on to become the Naval Postgraduate School. There are some very interesting interior views of the hotel. Nearly all the photographs have captions, probably written by Burke. While some of the images have condition issues, the collection is a good overall example of the types of entertainment events that took place during WWII on naval bases.
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Title: Thomas Burke Collection
Caption: Collection photo # 2018.13.01 - Bob Hope and LT(jg) Peter J. Burke, 1944.
Description: Collection of 188 photographs related to the donor’s father, LT Peter J. Burke, circa 1942-1945. Burke served as Entertainment Director at naval bases in San Diego and Monterey (US Naval Training School), CA. Most, but not all, photographs were taken at those locations. Specific subject matter consists of dances, musical concerts, singers, and USO shows with stars such as Bob Hope, Harry James, Ish Kabibble, Rudy Vallee, and Mickey Rooney performing.  Images related to special sporting events such as tennis, diving, and boxing exhibitions highlight additional entertainment which was also performed for sailors and the general public. Also included are images of ship’s company parties. Much of the events that took place in Monterey were held at the Hotel Del Monte, which was leased to the Navy during WWII and would go on to become the Naval Postgraduate School. There are some very interesting interior views of the hotel. Nearly all the photographs have captions, probably written by Burke. While some of the images have condition issues, the collection is a good overall example of the types of entertainment events that took place during WWII on naval bases.
Accession #: 2018
Catalog #: 2018.13
Donor: Thomas Burke
Copyright Owner: Naval History & Heritage Command
Related Content
Topic
  • Music and Perfomance
Document Type
  • Photograph
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
Navy Communities
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials
Author Name
Place of Event
Recipient Name