Title: Paul F. Hunter, Jr. Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1940-1962

Creator:

• Hunter, Paul F. Jr.

Call Number: WVM Mss 942

Quantity: 0.6 linear ft. (2 archives boxes and 2 oversized folders) of papers, 3 folders 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:

The papers and photographs of Paul F. Hunter, Jr., a Madison resident who served as a pilot, first in the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F.) and later in the United States Army Air Force, during World War II. Several letters of reference document his application to the R.C.A.F. in early 1941. Personal military records provide details about his service, including flight records, orders, passes, and time and sequence cards. Written requests to transfer into the United States Army Air Force and a separation record show how his Canadian service ended. Several letters from fellow R.C.A.F. pilots provide news of mutual acquaintances and describe the conditions at various bases while scattered correspondence from his father describe the activities of the local Rotary Club. Newspaper clippings include descriptions Hunter's service, his visit home circa 1943, and several speaking engagements in the Madison area. Documents from the U.S. military show his desire to transfer from the R.C.A.F. two years before it happened. A permit from his local draft board to depart the United States in 1941 is a unique and interesting document since Hunter used the permit to enlist in the Canadian military. The majority of the materials provide details about his service such as pay records, certificates of appointment and service, military property clearance forms, and orders. Individual flight records and post-flying regulation questionnaires give a little detail about his role as a pilot toward the end of World War II. Hunter also collected samples of blank stationary used by military forces. The collection includes Royal Canadian Air Force stationary with matching envelope, tan stationary with humorous graphic of soldier boys and officer, and letterhead identified as the Officers' Club & Hostel (YMCA) out of Manchester, England. Also found are stationary forms from the Egyptian Postal Administration and blank V-mail forms. Photographs include shots of Hunter wearing both an R.C.A.F. uniform and a U.S. Air Force uniform in posed studio shots and candid pictures with family and friends.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00942

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Paul Foskett Hunter, Jr. was born in Appleton, Wisconsin on July 21, 1911. He grew up in Madison, attending local schools and graduating from high school in 1929. He took several college courses in real estate and worked for his father, who was a local realtor, from 1935 to 1940.

In January 1941 he traveled to Canada and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in February. He was commissioned as an officer in December 1941, received training in Canada and England, and saw action briefly in the Middle East. He received additional training in 1943, returning first to Canada and then to England. During the majority of his service in the R.C.A.F., Hunter attempted to transfer into the United States Army Air Force- these efforts finally proved successful in October 1944. He remained stateside throughout the remainder of the war, serving at various bases and airfields. Hunter gained the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force on October 1, 1945 and was discharged a little over two weeks later.

Following his service, Hunter remained in Madison where he continued his active participation in the local Rotary Club, of which he had remained a member throughout his military service. Hunter passed away in July 1985 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The papers of Paul F. Hunter are divided into 3 series: Royal Canadian Air Force, U.S. Army Air Force, and Photographs.

Royal Canadian Air Force (1940-1962) contains papers describing his service in the Canadian military from 1941 to 1944. The relative uniqueness of an American serving in the R.C.A.F. makes this series and its contents particularly interesting. Several letters of reference document his application to the R.C.A.F. in early 1941. Personal military records provide details about his service, including flight records, orders, passes, and time and sequence cards. Written requests to transfer into the United States Army Air Force and a separation record show how his Canadian service ended. Several letters from fellow R.C.A.F. pilots provide news of mutual acquaintances and describe the conditions at various bases. The scattered letters from Hunter's father relate information from Madison, mostly about the local Rotary Club of which both he and Hunter were members. Newspaper clippings include descriptions Hunter's service, his visit home circa 1943, and several speaking engagements in the Madison area. An announcement and invitation document his marriage to Elizabeth Harb, a Madison resident, in Canada during his service. Other materials include receipts showing how he spent money during his service, an official warning about acquiring and transmitting venereal diseases, and ephemeral souvenirs from Canadian and English establishments.

U.S. Army Air Force (1940-1958) consists largely of documents relating to Hunter's service in the U.S. military during World War II. Some papers show his desire to transfer from the Royal Canadian Air Force into the U.S. Air Force two years before it happened. A permit from his local draft board to depart the United States in 1941 is a unique and interesting document since Hunter used the permit to enlist in the Canadian military. The majority of the materials provide details about his service such as pay records, certificates of appointment and service, military property clearance forms, and orders. Individual flight records and post-flying regulation questionnaires give a little detail about his role as a pilot toward the end of World War II. There are some letters and promotional materials describing services offered to new veterans following the war. Other scattered materials relate to his post-war service with the Air Force Reserve, including a certificate for participating in the Ground Observer Corps in the 1950s.

Photographs (circa 1943) contains photographs of Hunter wearing both a Royal Canadian Air Force uniform and a United States Army Air Force uniform in posed studio shots and candid pictures with family and friends. There is also a photograph of a house, presumably the Hunter family residence in Madison.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Rebecca Baillie, Deerfield, WI, 2002. Accession Number: TR1315A.

Processing Information

Processed by Russell Horton in 2006.

	Series: Royal Canadian Air Force
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical information, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Christmas cards and lists, 1940, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Control tower codes, undated
Box   1 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1944
Box   1 Folder   5	From parents, 1944
Box   1 Folder   6	From other R.C.A.F. pilots, 1942, 1944
Ov   32 Folder   2	Blank stationary, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	Financial records, 1942-1943
Box   1 Folder   8	Account books, 1942-1943
Box   1 Folder   9	Hotel receipts, 1943-1944
Box   1 Folder   10	Officers mess receipts, 1943-1944
Box   1 Folder   11	Last will and testament, 1941, 1943
Box   1 Folder   12	Marriage, 1943
Box   1 Folder   13	Newspaper clippings, 1942-1943
Ov   18 Folder   9	Oversized, 1941
Box   1 Folder   14	Rotary News, 1944
Box   1 Folder   15	Royal Yorker magazine, 1943
Box   1 Folder   16	Speaking engagements, 1943-1944
Box   1 Folder   17	Official envelope, 1944
	Subseries: Personal military records	⇧
Box   1 Folder   18	Application for service, Reference letters, 1941
Box   1 Folder   19	Commission, 1942
Box   1 Folder   20	Flight record, 1944
Box   1 Folder   21	Orders, 1942-1943
Box   1 Folder   22	Passes, 1943-1944
Box   1 Folder   23	Requests to transfer to U.S. Air Force, 1942, 1944
Box   1 Folder   24	Separation record, 1941, 1944
Box   1 Folder   25	Student's time and sequence card, 1943
Box   1 Folder   26	Souvenirs, 1943-1944
Box   1 Folder   27	Stationery, undated
Box   1 Folder   28	Veterans insurance, circa 1962
Box   1 Folder   29	Warning about venereal diseases, undated
	Series: U.S. Army Air Force	⇧
Box   1 Folder   30	Personal military records, 1944-1945
	Certificates
Box   1 Folder   31	Appointment (1st Lieutenant), 1945
Box   1 Folder   32	Registration for selective service, 1940-1941
Box   1 Folder   33	Service, 1945
Box   1 Folder   34	Clearance to fly forms, 1944-1945
	Financial records
Box   1 Folder   35	Estate chart, 1944-1945
Box   1 Folder   36	Pay records
Box   1 Folder   37	Reimbursement for transportation of dependents, 1945
Box   1 Folder   38	Tax documents, 1945-1946
Box   1 Folder   39	Individual flight records, 1944-1945
Box   1 Folder   40	Leaves of absence, 1944-1945
Box   1 Folder   41	Military property clearance forms, 1944-1945
Box   2 Folder   1-2	Orders, 1944-1945
Box   2 Folder   3	Permit to depart from United States, 1941
Box   2 Folder   4	Post-flying regulations questionnaire, 1944-1945
Box   2 Folder   5	Stateside souvenirs, undated
Box   2 Folder   6	Trainee information guide, Blackland A.A.F., circa 1944
Box   2 Folder   7	Transfer from R.C.A.F., 1942-1943
Box   2 Folder   8	Reserve, 1945-1955
Box   2 Folder   9	Ground Observer Corps certificate, 1958
Box   2 Folder   10	Orders, 1948
Box   2 Folder   11	Veterans benefits, 1945-1946
Box   2 Folder   12	New veteran information, 1945
	Series: Photographs	⇧
Ph   20 Folder   36	Paul F. Hunter, Jr. [6] circa 1943
Ph   20 Folder   37	Group shots [4] , undated
Ph   20 Folder   38	House [1] , undated