James Herbert Duncan served in WWII, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Fox Company. He began fighting in Western Europe on February 10, 1945, and battled through Germany into Czechoslovakia, where he remained after its liberation until July 1945.

He documented his experiences in the horrors of war and peace thereafter via over 500 photographs, using cameras and film he found along the way. The photos capture tanks, airplanes, and other military technology of both the Allied and German forces as well as American soldiers in battle and later as liberators and friends of the local residents. They depict damaged buildings and devastated cities. Yet, to him, the most important photographs are the images of the men, women and children of the towns, villages and cities he visited. His photos of the City of Pilsen, now in the Czech Republic, the countryside, and children reveal the relief of war being over.

In 2012, James Duncan along with his company commander, Col. Robert Gilbert from WWII, returned to Pilsen during the Liberation Festival, which annually celebrates the liberation of the city and the European continent. Learning about his extensive collection, the City of Pilsen displayed over 100 photos the following year at the Liberation Festival. One of the children from a photograph, Marie Schweinarová, recognized herself in a displayed picture, and introduced herself to Duncan, which was a tremendous reunion. His hope is that more people from Pilsen, Domažlice, Pasečnice, and the other Czech towns he liberated in May 1945, recognize friends and family members in his photographs.

James Duncan, who will turn 90 in June, will return to Pilsen once again for the 2015 Liberation Festival in May to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the liberation.  This will be his ninth trip to Pilsen for the Liberation Festival.

James Duncan_WWII