Lewis Selwyn Webster Collection

This collection consists of material relating to the military career of Lewis Selwyn Webster, including five of Webster's pilot's log books, covering the dates 1918-1932, as well as numerous photographs (including two panoramic photographs), letters, and news clippings, and other documents gathered into a scrapbook binder. One of the panoramic photographs is 19 by 7.75 inches and shows the Station Supply Department at Duncan Field, San Antonio Texas, 1929. The second panoramic photograph is 40 by 8 inches and shows the commissioned officers of the 1st Provisional Air Brigade, who were gathered to take part in the Bombing Maneuvers at Langley Field, June 1921. The scrapbook binder contains photographs of Webster during flight training and subsequent military service; Webster's military records; photographs of various U.S. Army facilities; aerial photographs of various locations; a copy of the rules and regulations, Webster's flight log, and Webster's report pertaining to the 1919 Transcontinental Reliability and Endurance Test; news clippings; numerous photographs of the 1921 German battleship bombing trials; photographs and correspondence pertaining to the Panama Canal Zone, a 1924 memo from Mason M. Patrick to Commanding Officers regarding aircraft accidents; a program for the dedication of Randolph Field; and news clippings pertaining to Webster's participation in an aerial search for a gang of kidnappers. Aircraft depicted in the photographs include Dayton Wright DH-4, Curtiss JN-4D Jenny, de Havilland (Airco) D.H.9, Martin (Glenn L.) MB-2, Curtiss F-5L (PN-5), Curtiss O-1E Falcon, Douglas O-38, Douglas O-2, Boeing P-12, and the Handley Page H.P.42. Other photograph subjects include General William "Billy" Mitchell and aerial views of the 1933 Century of Progress exposition (World's Fair) in Chicago, Illinois. The collection also contains a copy of the publication A List of Airplane Pilot Officers of the United States Army Air Service Commissioned Prior to November 12, 1918. A small portion of the collection pertains to Lewis Selwyn Webster's son, Lewis Frazer Webster, who served with the U.S. Air Force and was killed in action in Korea in 1952. This series contains military records of Lewis Frazer Webster, photographs, and news clippings. Aircraft depicted in the photographs in this series include Republic P-47 (F-47) Thunderbolt, Lockheed (F-80) P-80A Shooting Star, North American F-86 Sabre, and the Gloster Meteor.

The collection is divided into two series. A small number of items in the collection have been digitized and attached to this finding aid.