David Oscar Arendt was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in November of 1918. He graduated from Little Rock High School in 1936. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1941, due to World War II escalating. He was stationed at Baffin Island and Ascension Island working on weather stations during the war, where he met some of the native Inuits. He returned to Arkansas, but did not retire from the military until 1978, at the rank of Lt. Colonel. He remained in Arkansas until his death in Little Rock in 2009.
This collection contains a photograph album of David Arendt's time in the military when he was stationed at Baffin Island and Acension Island. In addition, there are near 700 loose photographs and negatives of his time at Baffin Island, Acension Island, as well as photographs of the native Inuit tribe of Baffin Island. There is also printed literature that provides an American viewpoint of the people of the islands.
· Photographs
o PH.DOA.0001-.0010: David Arendt and friends (Box 1)
o PH.DOA.0011-.0020: David Arendt and friends
o PH.DOA.0021-.0030: David Arendt and friends posing with machine guns
o PH.DOA.0031-.0040: David Arendt and friends
o PH.DOA.0041-.0050: David Arendt and friends working and relaxing
o PH.DOA.0051-.0060: David Arendt and friends working
o PH.DOA.0061-.0070: David Arendt and friends cleaning and joking (Box 1)
o PH.DOA.0071-.0080: David Arendt and friends at mess hall
o PH.DOA.0081-.0090: Pictures around the base
o PH.DOA.0091-.0100: Pictures around the base
o PH.DOA.0101-.0110: David Arendt and friends with dogs
o PH.DOA.0111-.0120: David Arendt and friends posing with igloo
o PH.DOA.0121-.0130: David Arendt and friends around the base
o PH.DOA.0131-.0140: Pictures around the base
o PH.DOA.0141-.0150: David Arendt and friends
o PH.DOA.0151-.0160: Pictures around the base (Box 2)
o PH.DOA.0161-.0169: Pictures around the base
o PH.DOA.0170-.0179: Pictures around the base
o PH.DOA.0180-.0189: Servicemen with planes
o PH.DOA.0190-.0199: Planes
o PH.DOA.0200-.0209: Expedition photographs
o PH.DOA.0210-.0219: Expedition photographs
o PH.DOA.0220-.0229: Expedition photographs
o PH.DOA.0230-.0239: Expedition photographs
o PH.DOA.0240-.0249: Boating and skiing photographs
o PH.DOA.0250-.0259: Fishing photographs
o PH.DOA.0260-.0269: Ocean and iceberg photographs
o PH.DOA.0270-.0279: Ocean photographs
o PH.DOA.0280-.0289: Snow scenery photographs
o PH.DOA.0290-.0299: Snow scenery photographs
o PH.DOA.0300-.0303: Scenery and plane photographs
o PH.DOA.0304-.0314: Postcards and base photographs (Box 3)
o PH.DOA.0315-.0324: Various nature photographs
o PH.DOA.0325-.0331: David Arendt with Inuits and planes
o PH.DOA.0332-.0341: David Arendt and dog
o PH.DOA.0342-.0351: David Arendt and dog
o PH.DOA.0352-.0361: David Arendt posing
o PH.DOA.0362-.0371: David Arendt
o PH.DOA.0372-.0381: David Arendt
o PH.DOA.0382-.0391: David Arendt and others
o PH.DOA.0392-.0401: Scenic view and military men
o PH.DOA.0402-.0410: Building and ocean photographs
o PH.DOA.0411-.0420: Ascension Island and weather balloon photographs
o PH.DOA.0421-.0430: Scenic photographs
o PH.DOA.0431-.0440: Inuit photographs
o PH.DOA.0441-.0450: Inuit photographs
o PH.DOA.0451-.0460: Inuit and polar bear hunt (Box 4)
o PH.DOA.0461-.0470: Polar bear hunt
o PH.DOA.0471-.0480: Inuit and polar bear hunt
o PH.DOA.0481-.0490: David Arendt and others with Inuits
o PH.DOA.0491-.0500: David Arendt and others with Inuits
o PH.DOA.0501-0508: American soldiers and Inuits eating
o PH.DOA.0509-.0518: Hunting expedition
o PH.DOA.0519-.0528 Hunting expedition
o PH.DOA.0529-.0538: Dog and hunting photographs
o PH.DOA.0539-.0548: Inuit and dog photographs
o PH.DOA.0549-.0558: Various photographs
o PH.DOA.0559-.0563: Hunting and travelling photographs
o PH.DOA.0564-.0573: Sensual poems and scenic photographs
o PH.DOA.0574-.0583: David Arendt and friends and scenic photographs
o PH.DOA.0584-.0593: Scenic photographs
o PH.DOA.0594-.0600: Scenic photographs (Box 5)
o PH.DOA.0601-.0610: Weather instruments and plane photographs
o PH.DOA.0611-.0620: Working areas/various photographs
o PH.DOA.0631-.0634: Photographs from British wife
o PH.DOA.0635-.0637: Various photographs
o PH.DOA.0638-.0647: David Arendt and various photographs (negatives)
o PH.DOA.0648-.0657: David Arendt and dog photographs (negatives)
o PH.DOA.0658-.0667: David Arendt and fishing photographs
o PH.DOA.0668-.0672: David Arendt
· Label for Collection (David Arendt Baffin Bay) Undated (Box 6)
General note
Originally from page 1 of the scrapbook.
· One Brazilian real 1923 January 8
· "The Battle of Ascension" song sketch, written for the Ascension Island Soldier Show called "Hysterically Speaking" 1944 November 24-26
· "Ascention Island" song sketch, written for the Ascension Island soldier show called "Hysterically Speaking" 1944 November 24-26
· Magazine clippings on Ascension Island, Brazil, and Trinidad during World War II. Undated
· Correspondence letters
o Soldier's letter (envelope)
o Letter from British wife (envelope)
o Unknown, Canterbury, Kent, England to Mrs. David O. Arendt
General note
This note was located originally in the envelope, "Letter to British Wife"
· David Oscar Arendt photograph album
· Panorama photograph of Baffin Island Weather Station (Drawer 115)
General note
This photograph is located in the over-sized map container in the vault.
· Photographs of Baffin Bay, Ascension Island, Brazil, and David Arendt's WWII uniform jacket 1942-1944
