Title: Paul C. Winner Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1911-1982

Creator:

• Winner, Paul C.

Call Number: WVM Mss 1250

Quantity: 0.5 linear ft (1 archives box and three oversized folders) of papers, 1.0 linear ft. (3 archives boxes) of photographs.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

Papers and still images pertaining to the service of Paul Winner, a Madison, Wisconsin veteran who served as a pursuit pilot with the 213th Aero Squadron, 3rd Army of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. Winner was a graduate student at Harvard University when he enlisted in the Army in 1917 to be trained as a pilot. After undergoing basic training he was sent to help construct the Third Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun, France. Winner underwent flight training at Tours, France, but did not complete his training until after the end of the war. He served as part of the peacekeeping force in France until June, 1919. The collection documents his time serving in the Army through manuscript material and still images. The papers consist of letters, a diary, journal, flight log, service records, biographical information, newspaper articles, ephemeral souvenir items and identification cards, loose scrapbook pages, and a personal bible. The letters are mainly written by Winner to his parents and siblings during his time overseas in France. In the letters, Winner describes his journey over to England and France, his typical daily duties while stationed at Issoudun, his thoughts on the war, and interacting with French civilians. Most of the letters reassure his family that he is doing fine and getting plenty of rest and food. The letters also express concern for his family, with Winner regularly instructing his brother to stay in college rather than enlist in the Army. In a letter dated December 9th, 1917, he tells his brother to continue his study of medicine because that is the “best thing he could do for his country.” Also included with the letters are two written by Jeanne Dennett (Winner's future wife) to Winner's sister, Mae. In the letters, Jeanne describes the letters Winner wrote to her and expresses concern for his safety. Winner's diary, written on loose sheets of paper, provides entries that begin with his journey to Europe and end in March, 1918. He describes his arrival at Issoudun, helping to construct the airfield and barracks, and mentions the hardships of military life. Winner goes into detail about the cold temperatures, getting little to no food, serving on guard duty, having to deal with ankle-deep mud around the entire airbase, and witnessing airmen dying from airplane crashes and exposure to the elements. He mentions the low morale among the men due to the fact they were not being trained as pilots. Winner also describes how he witnessed Eddie Rickenbacker crashing a plane during a landing, and how Quentin Roosevelt served as his commanding officer for a time. The diary also briefly describes his first flight after he began training as a pilot. In an entry dated March 22, 1918, Winner describes in great detail his first flying experience and his enjoyment of actually being able to fly. The diary abruptly ends after Winner received an actual diary from his sister at the end of March. This diary is not in the collection. The collection also includes a notebook journal, which Winner kept notes from his training. An interesting entry in the journal includes a note about the number of French women infected with venereal disease. The flight log provides additional details into the training Winner received as a pilot and records flight hours, first solo flight, and descriptions of aerial maneuvers. His service records include special orders and mention him being promoted from private to 1st lieutenant when he began training as a pilot. The loose scrapbook pages contain additional service records, along with additional photographs of Winner posing in flight gear. The newspaper articles are clippings pertaining to U. S. airmen, presumably collected by Winner's mother while he was in France, and includes an interesting article about airmen serving at Issoudun from 1917. Still images include a large collection of photographs and postcards documenting Winner's service during the war and various cities he visited as a tourist. Most of the wartime photographs are labeled and include a lengthy description for context. The majority of photographs are of Winner and fellow airmen relaxing around bases and touring Europe after the war. An interesting group of images include those taken at Issoudun that show it in various stages of its construction. Other images consist of shots of destruction along the front line and within French towns, a funeral for two American pilots, German prisoners posing at the prison camp at Issoudun, and images of airplanes used during the war. After the war, Winner remained as part of the peacekeeping force and toured various cities across Europe. There is a large collection of tourist photographs that show Winner and other soldiers in European cities such as Paris, Marseilles, and Rome. The postcards include those collected by Winner while traveling across Europe after the war.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss01250

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Paul C. Winner was born on May 24, 1891 in Whitehall, Wisconsin. After graduating high school, Winner attended Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin and enrolled in the Graduate School of Business at Harvard University in 1916. When the United States entered World War I, Winner enlisted in the Army to be trained as a pilot and spent three months training at the School of Military Aeronautics at Princeton University before being shipped to France in October, 1917.

His first assignment in Europe was being stationed at the Third Aviation Instruction Center in Issoudun, France, serving as part of the construction crew for the new American airbase. While at Issoudun, Winner worked primarily as part of the KP detail and guard duty while he waited for a promotion to 1st lieutenant in order to begin flight training. In February, 1918, he was transferred to another airfield located at Tours to begin training as a pilot, and was still logging training hours when the war ended in November, 1918.

After the war ended, Winner continued to serve in Europe as part of the peacekeeping force. During this time he traveled many cities in France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy. He returned to the United States in May, 1919 and was formally discharged at Camp Grant, Illinois on June 5, 1919. After being discharged, Winner returned to Wisconsin and married Jeanne Dennett. The couple had two children, John and Betty Jean. The family settled in Port Washington, where Winner worked as a manager in several private companies around the Milwaukee area.

During the Great Depression, he moved to Madison and began working for the State of Wisconsin's employment service and served as the first director of the National Reemployment Service. He also served as the assistant director of the state employment service until 1943, when he began working for the War Manpower Commission. Winner died from a heart attack in Chicago on January 6, 1945. His son John Winner served in World War II and also has materials donated to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center. The John Winner collection was processed as WVM Mss 1222.

The Paul C. Winner collection is divided into two series: Papers and Still Images.

Papers (1911-1983) consist primarily of letters written by Paul Winner to his parents; his sister, Mae Tindolph (Winner); and his brother, Harry Winner. Winner numbered all of the letters he wrote consecutively, regardless to whom they were addressed. He stated, in letters to all three family members, that he would number the letters in this fashion to allow his family to pass them between one another and to avoid writing the same thing twice. In his letters to Harry, Winner consistently tells his brother not to join up with the Army until he has his medical degree. When comparing these letters to his diary, it becomes clear that Winner did not want his brother to go through the same hardships he was experiencing while in France. The letters also have a few humorous stories about soldiers attempting to communicate with French locals. One letter (November 29, 1917) describes a fellow airman attempting to buy honey from a local French vendor, in which the airman flapped his arms and repeated “buzz-bee-buzz.” The diary entries, written on loose sheets of paper, provide the best descriptions of Winner's life during his first few months overseas. He expresses bitterness in the first three months over subjects such as having to work in the cold, muddy conditions at Issoudun, France; constantly dealing with food shortages; having to perform guard duty; and the Army's failure to train him as a pilot. This is in contrast to the letters, in which he tells his family that he is happy, warm, and well fed. He also mentions witnessing fellow pilots dying, remarking in one entry (December 20, 1917) that he was glad it wasn't him “so he wouldn't have to be buried in a place such as this.” He also describes working with German POWs interned at the airbase. In one entry, dated January 30, 1918, he says that the German POWs were kicked off of KP duty for trying to blow up a stove with dynamite. These entries connect to photographs in the collection of a funeral for airmen killed while flying, and several images of German prisoners. The diary takes a positive tone after the base at Issoudun is completed in late December and Winner was transferred to Tours to being flight training. His entries end in March, 1918 after he receives an actual diary from his sister, which is not part of the collection. The journal only includes brief notes taken from training procedures, but does compliment the diary by providing an insight into his field training. The flight log provides some insight into his training as a pilot, covering the gap left by the ending of his diary entries. However, it only records completion of solo flights, flight hours, and flight maneuvers he executed and does not elaborate in great detail. Ephemeral items include military identification cards and local business cards. Also included are French tourism maps and a French automobile tour pamphlet, a copied letter from King George V thanking American airmen for their service, and a talisman that Winner apparently carried during flights.

Still Images (1917-1919) consist of photographs and postcards taken and collected by Winner while training in the United States and serving in Europe. The majority of the images document his time in Europe. However, there are a few interesting images of Winner from basic training showing him posing with fellow trainees at Fort Myer, Virginia and posing in two images taken at Mount Vernon, when he and a fellow soldier snuck onto the grounds. Winner also documents his journey across the Atlantic, as well as preparing to disembark from New York City. One interesting image, taken from the Statue of Liberty, shows the encampments of soldiers waiting to leave for Europe at Fort Wood (modern day Liberty Island). The photograph collection also documents the construction of the airbase at Issoudun, which was the largest airbase in the world upon its completion. There are images of the German prisoner camp, the mess hall where Winner primarily worked, and the interior of the barracks. Winner also documents other airbases, such at the training facility at Tours, but not in such detail as Issoudun. There are images of various aircraft, such as Spads, Nieuports, Farmans, and Parasols; both on the ground, and also flying in the air. Most of these images are identified and describe the scenes in detail. One interesting image shows Spads being brought in on trains and ready to be unloaded at the Issoudun base. There are a few photographs of destruction and casualties along the front line; however their numbers are small due in part to Winner serving as a pilot and not stationed on the front line. The majority of still images record his travels across Europe after the war. There are interesting photographs of Winner posing by himself and with other soldiers as famous sites in France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy. Particularly interesting are the images from Rome, which he mentions on the back of one photograph as being a city he could live in for awhile. The postcards are souvenirs he collected while traveling across Europe and cover a wide range of cities.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Marcelaine Winner, Middleton, WI, 2008. Accession Number: Mss 2008.203.

Processing Information

Processed by Andrew J. Baraniak in 2009

	Series: Papers
Box   1 Folder   1	Bible, 1911
Box   1 Folder   2	Biographical Information, 1938, 1945, 1952, 1982
	Subseries: Correspondences	⇧
	From Paul Winner
Box   1 Folder   3	Card to Parents, 1918
Box   1 Folder   4	Envelopes, 1917-1918
	Letters
Box   1 Folder   5-7	To Harry Winner, 1917-1919
Box   1 Folder   8-15	To Mae Tindolph, 1917-1919
Box   1 Folder   16-30	To Parents, 1917-1919
Box   1 Folder   31	Postcard to Harry Winner, 1919
	From Jeanne Dennett
Box   1 Folder   32	Letters to Mae Tindolph, 1918-1919
Box   1 Folder   33	Diary, 1917-1918
	Subseries: Ephemeral	⇧
Box   1 Folder   34	Cards, circa 1918
Box   1 Folder   35	King George V Message, 1918
Box   1 Folder   36	Receipt, circa 1918
Box   1 Folder   37	Song, circa 1918
Ov   30 Folder   4	French Tourism Pamphlet, circa 1919
Box   1 Folder   38	Talisman, circa 1917
Box   1 Folder   39	Y.M.C.A. Automobile Excursions Pamphlet, 1919
Box   1 Folder   40	Flight Log, 1918-1919
Box   1 Folder   41	Journal, circa 1918
Box   1 Folder   42	Military Identification Cards, 1917-1918
Box   1 Folder   43	Newspaper Articles, circa 1918
Ov   25 Folder   14	American Aviation Article, 1917
Ov   30 Folder   5	Scrapbook Pages, 1917-1919
Box   1 Folder   44	Service Records, 1918-1919
Box   1 Folder   45	Discharge Certificate, 1919
Box   1 Folder   46	Government Headstone, 1945
	Series: Still Images	⇧
	Subseries: Photographs
Box   2 Folder   1	Paul Winner [9] , 1917-1918
Box   2 Folder   2	Front Line [4] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   3	Posing with French civilians [3] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   4	Posing with Mae Tindolph [6] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   5	Posing with Soldiers [3] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   6-7	Tourist Scenes [16] , 1918-1919
	Army Service
	Basic Training at Fort Myer
Box   2 Folder   8	Group Photographs [9] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   9	Individual Soldiers [3] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   10	Mount Vernon [2] , 1917
	Embarking for Europe
Box   2 Folder   11	Fort Wood [1] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   12	New York Harbor [2] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   13	On the Atlantic [4] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   14	United Kingdom [4] , 1917
	European Service
Box   2 Folder   15	Aircraft [8] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   16	In Flight [4] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   17	Wrecks [4] , circa 1918
	Airfields
Box   2 Folder   18	Issoudun [18] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   19	Arrival [4] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   20	Construction [4] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   21	German Prisoners [4] , 1917
Box   2 Folder   22	St. Maxient [2] , 1918
Box   2 Folder   23	Tours [2] , 1918
Box   2 Folder   24	Casualties [2] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   25	Funeral [3] , circa 1918
	Destruction
Box   2 Folder   26	Front Line [5] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   27	Urban Areas [4] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   28	French Soldiers [2] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   29	Local French Residents [12] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   30	Children [2] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   31	Women [7] , circa 1918
	Pilots
Box   2 Folder   32-33	Identified [27] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   34-35	Unidentified [30] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   36	With Airplanes [15] , circa 1918
	Tourism
	France
Box   2 Folder   37	French Countryside [11] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   38	Niort [6] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   39	Portiers [2] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   40	Small Communities [7] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   41	St. Macient [12] , circa 1918
Box   2 Folder   42	Tours [2] , circa 1918
	Italy
Box   2 Folder   43	Naples [1] , circa 1919
Box   2 Folder   44	Pisa [6] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   1	Pompeii [15] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   2	Rome [8] , 1919
Box   3 Folder   3	Castel Sant'Angelo [3] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   4	Colosseum [6] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   5	Forum [4] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   6	Vatican City [7] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   7-10	Unidentified [50] , circa 1919
	Subseries: Postcards	⇧
	Cities
Box   3 Folder   11	Brussels [21] , circa 1919
	France
Box   3 Folder   12	Aix-les-Baine [4] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   13	Arras [20] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   14	Bordeaux [24] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   15	Cannes [20] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   16	Issoudun [14] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   17	Marseille [20] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   18	Martigne-Ferchaud [2] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   19	Menton [12] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   20	Modane [10] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   21	Mens [10] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   22	Nice [24] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   23	Niort [10] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   24	Paris [24] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   25	Poitiers [15] , circa 1919
Box   3 Folder   26	Saint Maxient [10] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   1	Touluse [12] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   2	Tours [19] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   3	Verdun [23] , circa 1919
	Italy
Box   4 Folder   4	Genoa [6] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   5	Pompeii [9] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   6	Rome [2] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   7	Monaco [19] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   8	Gibraltar [19] , 1919
	Miscellaneous
Box   4 Folder   9	Bullfight [3] , circa 1919
Box   4 Folder   10	Italian Ship “America” [1] , circa 1919