Ben T. Banks, Jr. papers

Descriptive Summary
Title: Ben T. Banks, Jr. papers
Creator: Banks, Benjamin T., 1921-
Inclusive Dates: 1942-2001
Bulk Dates: 1942-1945
Language(s): English
Extent: 1.25 Linear Feet 3 boxes
Collection Number: ms3748
Repository: Hargrett Library

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Collection Description

Historical Note

Ben T. Banks, Jr. (b. 1921) and his family were native to Monroe in Forsyth County, Georgia. He graduated from Goizueta Business School at Emory in 1942. In the fall of 1942, he joined the war effort and was trained as a navigator and bombardier. From 1944 to 1945, Banks flew over Germany on bombing missions, of which he took meticulous record. During the war, he wrote his family in Georgia frequently, especially his young sisters, Lucy and Mary. Banks married in 1949. He had a daughter in 1954 named Marigene. The family eventually moved to Covington, Georgia.

For much of his service, he remained with the same pilot, John Lippincott, but after the war ended, the two never saw each other again. In 2001, his daughter Marigene found Lippincott and reunited the two.

Scope and Content

The collection focuses entirely on Ben T. Banks, Jr.'s experiences in World War II. These include letters to his family, particularly his sister Lucy. Also included is Banks' bombing mission record, which he kept in a notebook, a number of photographs of Banks and his bombing crew during the war, and several war records, including an official commendation for his service during the Battle of the Bulge, as well as an interview with him on DVD, and Banks' flight and bombardier training materials.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Ben T. Banks, Jr. papers, ms3748, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Libraries, the University of Georgia Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Marigene Banks, daughter of Ben T. Banks, Jr., in July 2012.

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Related Materials and Subjects

Subject Terms

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Series Descriptions and Folder Listing

 

box

folder

Request box

1

1

Original notebook recording bombing missions in Germany

 

1

1

DVD copy of Banks' notebook recording bombing missions

 

1

1

Printed color copy of Banks' notebook recording bombing missions

 

1

2

Book - Dear Sir by Juliet Lowell

 

1

3

Photograph - Crew (including Banks and Lippincott) with Douglas A-26

 

1

4

Photograph - Ben Banks (navigator), John Lippincott (pilot), and Unidentified (gunner)

 

1

5

Photographs - Aerial images of bomb damage

 

1

6

Photograph - Ben Banks on bicycle in Ireland , 1944

 

1

7

Photographs - Crew (including Banks as Navigator, Lippincott as Pilot, Litsinger as Co-Pilot, and 3 Unidentified)

 

1

8

Letter from Marigene Banks to accompany the collection

 

1

8

Poem - "Ode to a Bombardier"

 

1

9

Combat record, commendation, and certificate, 1945

 

1

9

Letter from Ben Banks to John Lippincott regarding Battle of the Bulge, 2000

 

1

10

DVD - Interview with Ben T. Banks, Jr., 2007 Februrary

 

1

11

Typescript - War letters, records, photographs, and timeline of Ben Banks (includes photos of Banks and Lippincott's 2001 reunion), 1942-2001, 1942-1945

 

1

12

Typescript - War letters to Banks' sister Lucy, 1942-1945

 

1

13

Typescript - War letters to Banks' sister Mary and his father, 1942-1945

 

1

14

Original - War letters , 1942 October-December

 

1

15

Original - War letters, 1943 January-April

 

box

folder

Request box

2

1

Original - War letters, 1943 May-December

 

2

2

Original - War letters, 1944

 

2

3

Original - War letters, 1945

 

box

folder

Request box

3

1

Photograph - Flight 6, Class 43-I - Dorr Field, 1943

 

3

2

Flight Training School notebooks - Dorr Field, 1943

 

3

3

Pilot Log - Dorr Field, 1943

 

3

4

Cadet's Handbook - Dorr Field, 1943

 

3

5

USAAF Gunnery School - Tyndall Field, 1943

 

3

6

Bomber training - Lake Charles Army Air Field

 

3

7

San Angelo Bombardier School, 1944

 

3

8

Newspaper article regarding Banks receiving Flying Cross, 1945

 

3

9

Insignia, pins

 

3

10

Printed material