New collection of Second World War aerial photography
A collection of fascinating aerial reconnaissance photographs taken during the Second World War by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) is now accessible to the public online through the Historic England Archive.
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USAAF Collection
The Historic England Archive’s USAAF Collection comprises over 20,000 photographic prints taken by USAAF photographic reconnaissance (PR) aircraft.
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Blog: The Story of the US Army Air Forces in Britain During the Second World War
By 1944, over half a million United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) servicemen were stationed in Britain.
Our staff picks
"The statue of Lion, the mastiff, and the stories of the funeral are why I chose this photograph. When Tom Sayers, Britain's last bare-knuckle champion, died in 1865 at the age of 39, his faithful dog Lion was 'chief mourner' at the funeral. The burial was reputedly attended by 10,000 people who behaved with 'irredeemable blackguardism, brutal levity, and barbaric ferocity'."
Selected by:
Abigail Coats, Cataloguing Officer
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The tomb of Tom Sayers (PLA01/03/1303)
The tomb of Tom Sayers, Britain's last bare-knuckle champion, in Highgate Cemetery, Camden, Greater London Authority.
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Series: Played in London
Explore the series. This is part of the Played in Britain collection (PLA01).
Featured collections
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Harold Wingham Collection
Described as “one of the unsung heroes” of aerial photography, Harold Wingham created photographs of outstanding quality and interest.
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John Laing Photographic Collection
The John Laing collection provides a unique insight into the origins of iconic British buildings and the human effort that went into building them.
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The Rise of the Shopping Centre
This exploration looks at five shopping centres built by the Laing company, back when they were a favourite leisure destination for many people.
Our other collections
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England's Places
Discover photos of English cities, towns and villages from the Architectural Red Box Collection.
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Aerial Photo Explorer
Our collection of aerial photographs contains over 6 million images, covering the whole of England.
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Over 9 million historical photos
Details of our photography collections held in the public Historic England Archive.
Gifts
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Buy Prints and Gifts
Choose images for framed prints, canvases, mugs, jigsaws and more.
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