Richard Shirk - Off Duty

Richard Shirk was a professional photographer who served in the US Army Air Force during the Second World War. Attached to the 155th Night Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron after initial training in Colorado, he was based in England where, in his spare time he photographed his local surroundings, landscapes, air force buddies and local people with his personal camera.
 
His interest in reportage photography continued when the squadron moved to France and then Germany. In addition, he took noteworthy oblique aerial photographs of bomb damaged German cities during a Trolley Trip in May 1945.
 
Richard Shirk's wartime photographs were presented to NCAP by his daughter, Beth Shirk, in 2012. This gallery presents a selection of images which illustrate his off-duty moments.