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When my Aunt Rose passed away I came into possession of her photos and negatives. There were very few photos but a pile of big negatives, many of which I half suspect were never printed, or perhaps were printed once and the photos lost a long time ago. She wasn't in the habit of documenting her snapshots, so each one is to me a mystery.
None is more mysterious than this. I don't know who the speaker is, or the occasion, but the location could be either northern Philadelphia or the Quakertown Pa. vicinity. One small hint might be the "Pa SRG" shoulder emblems. the time period is probably the late 1930s or early War years. View full size.
To date the photo further, the vehicle is a 1939 Chevrolet sedan delivery, and there's a war poster on its side, barely visible. I imagine an expert could tell when that particular poster first appeared.
Pennsylvania State Reserve Guard and my guess is 1942. Many states formed these units when National Guard units were federalized for WWII service. Usually composed of veterans from WWI or men not eligible for active military service. In these modern times many states still have these units under the control of the State Adjutants General, but not to be confused with the wacko militia guys dressing in cammies and running around in the forests shooting and blowing up tree stumps.
This has to be after 1942 when the rank structure in the US Army changed. On of the men is wearing Sergeant's stripes with a "T" underneath it indicating that he is a Technician Fourth Grade (T/4). This rank was introduced in January 1942 and remained in use until 1948.
The lettered decals on the windshield are World War 2 gas rationing stickers; the program began in 1942. My guess is that this is an election campaign speech, judging by the bunting, or possibly a July 4 celebration.
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