Remembrance: Richmond's patrol bomber factory on display at library

The annual Remembrance Day display at Richmond Public Library’s Brighouse branch this year features photos from the Boeing aircraft factory on Sea Island.

Sourced, selected and assembled by the Friends of the Richmond Archives, the display features three particular shots taken during the Second World War.

One, donated to the archives in 1993 by an “A.E. Stutt,” shows the site itself on Sea Island which, during the war, employed up to 7,000 people, building amphibious planes and B-29 bombers for the war effort.

A second shows the assembly wing of the plant, where Consolidated PBY “flying boats” were put together. About 360 of them were made at Sea Island during the war.

“There’s actually a lot of them still flying,” said John Campbell, social media coordinator for the Friends of the Richmond Archives.

“They went into service all around the world during the war. They were classed as a patrol bomber and did a lot of submarine patrols.”

A third photo is an aerial shot of the community of Burkeville on Sea Island, built in 1943 to house the Boeing workers.

Other items of interest at the display include:

Postcards for Peace (where people of all ages can come to the library and write a message of thanks or gratitude to veterans);

Soldier Files (made up of replica military service documents, with each file telling a different story).