WWII U.S. Navy Bluejacket's Manual – 12th Ed. (1944) Named, Canada Provenance
An original 1944 Twelfth Edition of The Bluejackets' Manual, United States Navy, published during the Second World War as the standard handbook and reference manual for U.S. Navy enlisted personnel.
THE MANUAL ITSELF
This is not simply a book about the wartime U.S. Navy — this was the book the Navy gave its sailors.
Published in '44, the Twelfth Edition of The Bluejackets' Manual (specifically revised for wartime) was the practical handbook of the United States Navy during the height of the Second World War. It was designed to take a civilian recruit and teach him how to function as a sailor — and, when necessary, as a fighting man.
It is an absolutely fascinating snapshot of what the U.S. Navy expected a sailor to know in 1944.
Inside are instructions and illustrations covering military drill, manual of arms, rifle and small-arms training, scouting and patrolling, ship and aircraft recognition, naval gunnery, ammunition, mines and torpedoes, battle stations, emergency drills, firefighting, chemical warfare defense, navigation, seamanship, boat handling, communications and signaling.
Period illustrations, diagrams, signal flags and pennants, weapons information, ship and aircraft material, and a remarkable amount of practical instruction. The Navy itself described the revisions to this edition as bringing the manual into better alignment with “the needs of the times” and adding material of current interest to convey the spirit of a Navy at war.
This particular edition is especially evocative because it dates to 1944 - when the United States Navy was fighting a global war across the Atlantic and Pacific. It is therefore much more than a contemporary reference book: it is a physical piece of the training and culture of the American sailor who went to war.
BUT THIS COPY HAS A STORY OF ITS OWN
This is a particularly interesting example due to its original wartime inscription and named ownership.
Inside the manual is the handwritten name:
“Andy Joe Broscoe – S1/c (RT)” followed by additional handwritten unit/service notation.
The S1/c designation identifies Seaman First Class, while RT refers to the Navy's wartime Radio Technician classification — making this considerably more interesting than an otherwise anonymous wartime Navy manual.
The man behind the name
The inscription is associated with Andy Joe Broscoe, born 1927 in Birmingham, Alabama, raised in Canton, Ohio- an Arctic Seabee who later became a geologist and whose career eventually brought him to Calgary, Alberta.
What makes this example particularly compelling is that the manual was itself found in Calgary.
In other words, this isn't simply a WWII Navy manual that happened to be found in Canada. It carries the name of a specific wartime U.S. Navy sailor who, according to his later history, ultimately made his way to Calgary - giving the manual an unusually interesting geographical connection between its wartime owner and its eventual place of discovery.
Condition
The manual is in very good overall condition for its age, with the binding intact and the interior presenting well. There is some light staining/age-related discoloration to the cover, consistent with its approximately 80-year age.
The most important feature is the original handwritten inscription, which remains clearly legible.
Please refer closely to the photos for the exact condition of the item you will receive.
