54th Coast Artillery [cover title]

Los Angeles, Ca: Army and Navy Publishing Company, Inc, 1941. Very good.. [2],102,[8]pp. Original red cloth decoratively stamped in blind, with title stamped in gilt on front cover. Boards soiled and rubbed, minor scuffing to edges. Light occasional foxing. A rare yearbook memorializing the first year of training for the 54th Coast Artillery during the early stages of World War II at Camp Davis, North Carolina. The 54th Coast Artillery was an important African-American support unit during the war, which according to the opening letter here from Major General F.H. Smith was designed "to build up antiaircraft, antitank, antinaval, and balloon barrage units, prepared to assist effectively in the defense of our Country, its cities, airports, naval bases, and foreign possessions." The majority of the personnel of the 54th Coast Artillery was comprised of enlisted men from Texas, Kansas, and Missouri. The present yearbook includes photographic portraits of the staff officers and other personnel at Camp Davis, scenes around the base, action shots of the soldiers in various aspects of training, scenes of the soldiers during recreational sports, and more. Most notably, the book includes photographic portraits of hundreds of African American enlisted men who served in the 54th, including Private Leo Beasley, who is pictured on page 68. The album was given to Beasley in early December 1941 by his commanding officer and then presented by Beasley to his mother. By the time he received the yearbook, Beasley had attained the rank of corporal. Interestingly, in 2023 the mayor of Pacific Grove, California issued a special proclamation recognizing the service of the 54th Coast Artillery in World War II, noting that "Despite that these troops were armed and clothed with used weapons and secondhand uniforms dating to World War I, they did not complain and served with pride and distinction." OCLC records just four copies of this yearbook from the 54th's first year of service, at the Pentago Library, East Carolina University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NYPL, listed by either the cover title or the first sectional title page, which gives the title as Historical and Pictorial Review Antiaircraft Training Center Camp Davis, North Carolina 1941.