Set The Way-Back Machine For 1918

As I've mentioned in an earlier blog, my father was a Naval Photographer. I was given a box of his photographs, 8mm films, and a few other items a few months back, and was surprised to discover that I must have inherited not only my love of photography from him, but also my love for collecting old photographs and postcards, as the box contains postcards and photographs that date back to the early years of the 20th century.

I scanned a few of the more interesting photos that had been made into postcards that feature photographs of the Naval Training Center at Camp Kearny in San Diego. Camp Kearny was initially an Army base, then became Navy Auxiliary Air Station Miramar, then Naval Air Station Miramar, and is now Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

There are also a few photographs of the Naval Training Center that was set up in Balboa Park, and at a few other locations in and around San Diego, all taken in 1918. 

That was the last year of World War One, and San Diego had become a Navy town like no other - to this day it is the home of the world's largest Naval fleet.

BTW, at the time these photographs were taken, San Diego had a population of 70,000 or so.

The last two pictures were taken in 1918 at Naval Air Station San Diego on Coronado's North Island. The base had been established in 1917, and is considered the birthplace of Naval Aviation.