Geta
Object number2015.76.2 a,b
Date1944-1946
Possible OriginJapan
Possible OriginPhilippines
MediumWood, paint, velvet, rope
Credit LineGift of Diane Peebles
DescriptionPair of red painted wooden sandals or geta. Each has two vertical blocks on the sole and a yellow, blue, and red butterfly painted near the heel. Red velvet thong on top. Yellow and blue painted wavy lines run diagonally behind the butterfly.Dimensionsa,b) 6.5" L, 3" W, 2" HHistorical NotesPart of a collection of objects sent back from the Philippines and Japan by donor Diane Peeble’s father William W. Laird, Jr., while stationed there during and shortly after WWII. William W. Laird, Jr. of Greenville, Pennsylvania, was drafted into WWII in 1944. During the course of his service he worked as a rifleman, photographer, and technician with the 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion in the Pacific Theater. He participated in the liberation of the Philippines. In his role as a photographer, Laird documented Japanese military instillations shortly after WWII ended. He was stationed at Nagoya Base in Japan and was instructed to also photo document work at the base and base personnel. He was discharged in October of 1946. He became a certified electrician after the war and worked for the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad as an electrician. In 1940 Laird had married Edith Whitman and they had two children, Diane and David. He sent the donated items back to his wife and daughter while he was stationed in both Japan and the Philippines.
Related person
William W. Laird Jr.
Related institution
3rd Engineer Combat Battalion
Related institution
Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad
Related person
Edith Whitman
On View
Not on view
1944-1946
c. 1950
Marlow White Uniforms, Inc.
c. 1945