Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the Leonard H. Clark military history collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Preferred Citation

Leonard H. Clark military history collection, C0060, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Susan Lanson in 2008, on behalf of Anna Mae Clark, Robin Clark, and Barbara Clark Gregg.

Processing Information

Processed by Sean Tennant in December 2008 and January 2009. EAD markup completed by Sean Tennant in January 2009.

Biographical Information

Leonard H. Clark was born in England in 1919 and served in the United States Air Force from 1941 to 1968. During World War II, Clark began his service as a test pilot and was assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group of the 403rd Bomb Squadron in the 5th Air Force. In 1944, Clark assumed command of the 403rd Bomb Squadron. In total, Clark participated in 73 combat missions against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. Tokyo Rose nicknamed the 403rd the "Mareeba Butchers," the only nickname bestowed by the Japanese propaganda broadcast on a military service group. In 1945, Clark was involved in a plane crash off the cost of Japan, breaking his leg and waiting six days for rescue. During the war, Clark was promoted to the rank of Major and awarded multiple commendations and awards, including the Distinguished Unit Badge and the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the Korean War, Clark served with the 3906th Combat Support Group as a pilot. Clark was again called to serve in the Vietnam War. Major Clark died in Florida in 2003.

Scope and Content

The collection contains the military service and medical records of Leonard H. Clark, his correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia from Leonard H. Clark's service in the United States military. Robert Mathias, a relative of Clark's, gave him photographs and papers that document his time as a member of the United States Navy during World War II. The collection also contains materials in Japanese and Arabic. The collection is arranged into four series and covers a period from 1938 to 2003.

Series 1 contains the documents from the collection, including training logs, service records, medical documents, and correspondence. The series also contains documentation regarding awards and commendations, as well as newspaper clippings. The series covers the period from 1938 to 1968 and 2003 and is arranged in 1.5 boxes.

Series 2 contains photographs from Clark's military service. The series contains personal photographs, as well as publicity photographs of training exercises and aerial photographs of military operations in the Philippines. The series covers the period from the 1940s to the 1960s and is contained in 2 boxes.

Series 3 contains the miscellaneous memorabilia of the collection. Notably, the series contains a collection of currency collected during and after World War II, maps of portions of the Pacific Theater of Operations, and souvenirs from various locations around the world. The series also contains Clark's Distinguished Flying Cross. The series covers the period from the 1940s to 1957 and is contained in 2 boxes.

Series 4 contains the oversized materials from the collection, such as oversized silk maps, a Japanese flag belonging to a Kamikaze pilot, and a scrapbook. The scrapbook contains military training photographs, nose art photographs, Japanese surrender photographs, and newspaper clippings of Clark's training and service in World War II. The scrapbook is particularly interesting because of the documentation of a single squadron. Additionally, the scrapbook contains satirical drawings made during the war. The series covers the period of the 1940s and is contained in 1 box and the oversized map cases.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in 4 series:

Related Material

Special Collections and Archives also holds the John C. Becher Soldier Show collection , which contains entertainment materials written by and for the United States military during and immediately following World War II.

More information about the 43rd Bombing Group and the 403rd Squadron can be found on the Ken's Men website. More information about the Distinguished Flying Cross can be found on the Distinguished Flying Cross Society website.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Clark, Leonard H., 1919-2003.

Corporate Names:

• United States. Air Force.
• United States. Army Air Forces. Bomb Group, 43rd.

Geographical Names:

• Philippines--History--Japanese occupation, 1942-1945.

Subjects:

• World War, 1939-1945--Pacific Area.

Adjunct Descriptive Data