• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

331 results for: World War II, 1941-1945 (WWII)

Share:
Image of HDIR members in first aid drill, Seattle circa 1941
Photograph

HDIR members in first aid drill, Seattle circa 1941

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, a gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of…
ID Number:1947.24.15.1
Date:Circa 1941
Image of HDIR members marching through downtown, Seattle, circa 1941
Photograph

HDIR members marching through downtown, Seattle, circa 1941

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of civil…
ID Number:1947.24.16.1
Date:Circa 1941
Image of HDIR member checking documentation, Seattle, circa 1941
Photograph

HDIR member checking documentation, Seattle, circa 1941

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of civil…
ID Number:1947.24.17.1
Date:Circa 1941
Image of HDIR member fingerprinting another, Seattle, circa 1941
Photograph

HDIR member fingerprinting another, Seattle, circa 1941

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of civil…
ID Number:1947.24.17.2
Date:Circa 1941
Image of HDIR band preparing to perform, Seattle, circa 1942
Photograph

HDIR band preparing to perform, Seattle, circa 1942

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of civil…
ID Number:1947.24.17.3
Date:Circa 1942
Image of Home Defense Infantry Regimen rally flier, Seattle, August 17, 1942
Ephemera

Home Defense Infantry Regimen rally flier, Seattle, August 17, 1942

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized in 1940 from the state guards after the National Guard was federalized and called into service in preparation for World War II. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state…
ID Number:1947.24.33.01
Date:1942
Image of Home Defense Infantry Regiment recruitment poster, Seattle, 1941
Ephemera

Home Defense Infantry Regiment recruitment poster, Seattle, 1941

The Home Defense Infantry Regiment, or HDIR, was organized from the state guards during World War II after the National Guard was federalized and called into service. In Washington State about 2,500 civilian men were issued a billy club, gas mask, utility belt, and white civil defense helmet, and tasked with protecting and supporting the state in times of civil…
ID Number:1947.24.39.1
Date:1941
Image of
Poster

"Remember December 7th" poster, 1942

The Office of War Information (OWI) was a US government agency established in 1942 to create propaganda in order to shore up support for WWII on the home front. It used various media including posters, radio, newsreels, movies, and pamphlets in its work, and often invoked the attack on Pearl Harbor. The OWI encouraged Americans to live responsibly, focus on…
ID Number:1951.348.9
Date:1942
Image of
Poster

"Americans will always fight for liberty" poster, 1943

The Office of War Information (OWI) was a US government agency established in 1942 to create propaganda in order to shore up support for WWII on the home front. It used various media including posters, radio, newsreels, movies, and pamphlets in its work, and often invoked the attack on Pearl Harbor. The OWI encouraged Americans to live responsibly, focus on…
ID Number:1953.565.13
Date:1943
Image of Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company, July 8, 1943
Photograph

Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company, July 8, 1943

Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company was established in Seattle in 1889, as a branch of the San Francisco Bridge Company. By the 1940s, the firm had developed into a large dredging and construction company on its own, with projects up and down the west coast. The company built air bases and ships for World War II.This photo, taken in…
ID Number:1955.970.500.1.2
Date:1943
1 2 3 … 34 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved