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IDENTIFIED WORLD WAR ONE ERA AVIATOR’S GOGGLES –
COMPLETE SET WITH THE PILOT’S NAME – CAPTAIN ROMER
SHAWHAN - INSCRIBED ON THE GOGGLES – NICE EARLY US ARMY
AVIATION PIECE:
This set of early aviator’s
goggles is a very special piece, identified to one of
the first generation of U.S. Army Aviators who served in
World War One - then Lieutenant Romer Shawhan.
Surviving with the
identification intact, and originally acquired into the
collector’s market in the area of Shawhan’s final home,
this pair is a notable artifact of early American
military aviation.
Romer Shawhan, born July 29, 1888 in Pasadena,
California, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the US
Army Air Service on August 4, 1917. One of the early
pilots, Shawhan’s Pilot License carried the low number
of 478. Assigned to the 147TH Aero Squadron
which was formed at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas,
Shawhan served on the Western Front in Europe with the
squadron which was designated a Day Pursuit (Fighter)
Squadron as part of the 1ST Pursuit Group of
the U.S. Army. Shawhan’s fellow pilots included such
luminaries as Eddie Rickenbacker and son of President
Theodore Roosevelt, Quentin, who was killed in a
dogfight during the Second Battle of the Marne.
Promoted to the rank of captain during the course of his
service during World War One, Shawhan served as the
assistant operations officer on the staff of Gen.
William “Billy” Mitchell, Chief of the US Army Air
Service. He was awarded the Pershing Army Citation, the
Croix de Guerre, and the Distinguished Service Medal.
Shawhan left the army after the war on February 13,
1918, however he returned to serve during World War Two
from December 19, 1940 through October 27, 1945 when he
was discharged as a lieutenant colonel at Wright
Patterson Air Base.
Shawhan was a graduate of Columbia University School of
Architecture, and l'Ecole des beaux Arts in Paris. He
was a supervising architect and district manager of the
Public Works Administration Housing Program in New York
City. He was also an accomplished and recognized
artist, with numerous exhibits of his "expressionistic
paintings" being featured in New York City. He married
Zayda Justine Zabriskie, a well known artist in her own
right, in New York City, in May of 1936.
Between the wars, and after World War Two, Shawhan
worked for a number of prestigious architectural firms,
and became known for his use of marble, helping to found
the Marble Institute of America which created standards
of quality, design and craftsmanship in the use of
marble features in building.
Shawhan retired to Mount Vernon, New York where he died
on July 16, 1970 at the age of 81, and he was interred
at the Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City, Nevada.
This set of goggles is in full form with both lenses and
both head straps intact. Of particular note, Romer
Shawhan wrote his first and last name in ink, on the
side panels of each eye piece. The glass lenses are
clear with no cracks or other damage. The metal frames
are in full form, show no misshaping, and they retain
the original nickel plating. The sheep skin padding on
the interior edges of the eye pieces is fully intact, is
still soft, and the fur still retains much of the
original loft. The woven material which covers the
sides of the eye pieces has suffered some damage over
time, probably due to poor storage where moths or other
vermin attacked the perspiration residue in the cloth.
While the cloth is still holding its form, as can be
seen in the photographs below, there are holes, some of
which has damaged the characters of the first name
“ROMER”. Fortunately, the last name “SHAWHAN” survived
in the majority and is still fully legible. The leather
bridge and head strap tabs are original and are
naturally soft with no hardening or stiffening due to
age or soiling, and they retain their original light
brown color. The bridge shows evidence of having been
resewn where it had become separated from the edges of
the eye pieces. The head straps are full length with no
damage or significant wear, and they retain their clean
original khaki color. The adjustment slide buckle and
the hook and eye fasteners are still present and
functional.
Not all that common, these early aviation goggles are
very collectible, and with the added value of being
identified to one of the early US Army Aviators who
served in the skies over the Western Front, this set
would be a fine addition to your collection.
SOLD
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