NOTE: THIS LISTING REPLACES THE PREVIOUS LISTING AS IT INCORPORATES NEW ITEMS FOUND AT JAMES C. CORCORAN'S ESTATE.
Up for auction is a vintage estate find grouping for James C. Corcoran and his wife Clarice D. Defenbau from late 1945 postwar Berlin, Germany up through 1955, Clarice "Sue" was with the US Army in Germany for 10 years, 1945 - 1955, and James was in Germany with the US Army MP for 3 - 4 years, from 1952 - 1955 where they met sometime in 1952, and shows James C. Corcoran's US Army career through the early 1950's - 1960's with slightly over 700 combined photos. This is a great piece of postwar occupied Germany history as well as a nice group for Military Police and Military Marksmanship / Shooting enthusiasts.
I was contemplating breaking this grouping into a few separate groups but I didn't have the heart to do it as the entire grouping weaves a postwar story together of a US Army couple who met and were married in Germany, stayed until 1955, and then went back to the states moving with James C. Corcoran's US Army orders. It appears James C. Corcoran moved up the ranks as far as Lieutenant Commander in the US Army and retired in the early to mid 1960's and became an architect.
This grouping consists of the following items:
1) 1 EA - Photo Album - Creme Cover - Clarice D. Defanbau from age 5 through late teens in 1942 - 285 Photos
2) 1 EA - Photo Album - Green Cover - Clarice D. Defanbau in Berlin Germany as a Department of the Army Civilian - 128 Photos + another 27 loose photos
3) Photo Album - Brown Cover - Clarice D. Defenbau as an US Army Civilian, likely circa 1947 - 1952 - 238 Photos
4) 1 EA - 1945 Military Intelligence Division Certificate to Carlice E. Defenbau with War Dept. envelope
5) 2 EA - Circa 1945 - 1946 US Army Berlin Bullion Patches
6) 1 EA - 1950 Loyola University of the South Yearbook (Louisiana) for James C. Corcoran with Junior year photo
7) 1 EA - Provost Corps Loyola Battalion Certificate of Membership for James C. Corcoran dated 1950
8) 1 EA - 1951 Loyola University of the South (Louisiana) Yearbook for James C. Corcoran with Senior year photo and Company "A" ROTC group photo as Sergeant
9) 18 EA - Company D 307th Military Police 8 x 10 photos for James C. Corcoran circa 1952
10) 1 EA - Company D 307th Military Police letterhead circa 1952
11) 1 EA - Farewell Dinner menu for 540 MP - 2nd Lt. James C. Corcoran - 1953
12) 1 EA - Farewell Dinner menu for 540 MP - Miss Denfanbau - 1953
13) 1 EA - 540 MP Corcoran name tag - 1953
14) 1 EA - 540 MP Stein dated 1952 - 1955 Frankfurt for James C. Corcoran
15) 1 EA - 540 MP Stein dated August 1953 for James C. Corcoran
16) 1 EA - 540 MP Mug for Corky, James C. Corcoran, with writing: JCH HAB SO HEIMWEH NACH MEINEM BERLIN, translation: I'M SO HOMESICK FOR MY BERLIN
17) 1 EA - New Year Nurnberg dinner photo of Defenbau & Corcoran together, pre marriage, circa 1953
18) 1 EA - 1953 Berlin theater made ash tray
19) 1 EA - 540 MP Shooting score card for James C. Corcoran - 1954
20) 1 EA - Clarice D. Corcoran wooden desk since circa 1953 - 1955 (the couple were married sometime in 1953)
21) 1 EA - 5" x 7" Pistol Box Photo
22) 1 EA - James C. Corcoran's actual wooden pistol box, likely used from the mid 1950's onward
23) 1 EA - 5" x 7" Pistol Range photo in Grants Pass, OR - James C. Corcoran LTC
24) 4 EA - 8" x 10" photos of James C. Corcoran at Fort Bliss, Texas - circa late 1950's - 1960?
25) 1 EA - 8" x 10" New Mexico State Reserve Pistol Champ Los Alamos, NM photo - James C. Corcoran shown receiving 1st place trophy
26) 1 EA - New Mexico US Army Pistol Team Patch
27) 1 EA - New Mexico Holloman AFB, NM bullet shaped patch - 1959
28) 1 EA - 1959 Camp Perry Ohio Small Arms Firing Squad Booklet
29) 1 EA - Flamingo Pistol Tournament 1960 Coral Gables Miami Florida patch
30) 4 EA - Lt Colonel 8" x 10" presentation ceremony photos for James C. Corcoran
31) 1 EA - Fort Lee Virginia glass ash tray
Shipping to run $115.00 in the USA. Shipping to USA only due to bulky 24" x 24" x 18" box size and 51 lb total packed weight of grouping. All items will be carefully and securely package so that this entire grouping will arrive intact.
Good luck & God Bless!!!
Some history on the couple:
James C. Corcoran and Clarice "Sue" D. Corcoran were married for 63 years!!! Clarice passed away on March 26, 2017 at the age of 93. James C. Corcoran recently passed away January 2, 2024 at the age of 96.
A portion of Clarice Corcoran's 2017 obituary reads, "When WWII started she went to Washington DC to work for the U.S. Government. When the war was ended she volunteered to go to Germany with the occupation forces. She was a Department of the army Civilian. She was one of the first American girls in Berlin in December 1945. She was in Germany for ten years. In 1952 she met a young 2nd Lieutenant and a year later she married James C. Corcoran...Because of her husband's involvement in competitive shooting she became a range officer for the 1984 and 1996 Shooting Olympics."