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Inventory of the Charles Cross Collection of Buchenwald Concentration Camp Photographs, 1945

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: The collection consists of nine photographs of Buchenwald concentration camp taken in April 1945, shortly after its liberation by the U.S. Army. Also included is a 1993 interview on videocassette with Corporal Charles Cross, who collected the photographs.
Title: Charles Cross collection of Buchenwald concentration camp photographs
Creator: Cross, Charles C., 1924-2009
Date(s): 1945    
Extent: 0.25 linear feet
(2 folders, 1 videocassette)
Repository: Jewish Heritage Collection, Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: (843) 953-8016
Fax: (843) 953-6319
URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu
Call Number: Mss 1065-032
Language of Material: Materials in English

Biographical Note

Charles Cross was born in 1924 in Albany, New York. In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and received basic medical training before being sent to Normandy with the 2nd Infantry Division. Cross was injured while fighting in Saint-Lô, France, and evacuated to England. After he recovered, he was assigned to the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron and visited Buchenwald concentration camp twice, the first visit less than 24 hours after its liberation. On his second visit two weeks later, a private who accompanied Cross took the photographs that comprise this collection.


Collection Overview

The collection consists of nine photographs of Buchenwald concentration camp taken in April 1945, shortly after its liberation by the United States Army. The photographs were collected by Corporal Charles Cross. Photographs show victims, survivors, and captured SS officers within the camp. Other photographs show the barracks, gallows, and crematorium. Also included is a 1993 interview with Cross on videocassette.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.


Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.

    Names

    • Cross, Charles C., 1924-2009
    • United States. Army
    • Buchenwald (Concentration camp)

    Subjects

    • Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
    • World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities
    • World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany--Buchenwald

    Types of Material

    • Black-and-white photographs
    • Black-and-white negatives
    • Black-and-white slides
    • Digital images
    • Photo CDs
    • Videocassettes

    Related Resources

    Related Material

    Related materials in College of Charleston Special Collections include digital reproductions of photographs in the Lowcountry Digital Library.


    Inventory



    Photographs, 1945   folder 1


    Negatives and slides, 1945   folder 2

    Included are negatives, slides, and digital images on CD of the photographs in folder 1.



    Oral history interview, 1993   videotape 1065-032-V01
    (JHC Videocassette Box 4 | 1 Videocassette)

    Interview with Charles Cross regarding his World War II experiences, particularly in Buchenwald concentration camp.


    Administrative Information

    Access Restrictions

    This collection is open for research.

    Copyright Notice

    The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

    The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Charles Cross collection of Buchenwald concentration camp photographs, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.

    Acquisitions Information

    Materials were donated in 2001 by Charles Cross.

    Alternate Form of Materials

    Digital reproductions of photographs available online in the Lowcountry Digital Library.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Rebecca McClure, February 2012.

    Encoded by Rebecca McClure, April 2012.

    Reviewed and uploaded by Martha McTear, May 2012.

    Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.

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