Why there are hardly any military service photos from Spain's Navy and Air Force
Spain's Navy and Air Force took very few conscripts: military service there was mostly for volunteers and educated men. That's why there are hardly any photos.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Military service in the Navy: the posting nobody photographed or talked about
Have you ever wondered why family albums from the 1980s and 1990s only show soldiers with rifles in a dusty camp, and almost nobody in Navy or Air Force uniform? The answer is no coincidence: those postings were selective, they required a profile that was rarely that of the average conscript, and on top of that a camera was a scarce commodity.
A posting for volunteers and seafarers
Spain's mandatory military service assigned postings according to need, but the Navy and the Air Force barely needed conscripts. The Navy wanted men seasoned at sea or with an education; the Air Force, at least for years, only accepted volunteers. Those who didn't make the cut went to the Infantry, to peel potatoes and stand around. The only way to choose your branch and posting was to volunteer. That's why the few who ended up on a ship or at an air base tend to have singular stories: a patrol boat during the Korean War with a machine gun wrapped in canvas that nobody saw for eight months, or an S-72 submarine that welcomed a conscript class with photos.
The era without mobile phones or digital cameras
Add to that a technical matter: back then there were no digital cameras or mobile phones, and a photograph cost real money. Conscripts on land had more chances to get hold of a camera, but on a ship or at an air base, with fewer fellow soldiers and more control, taking photos was the last thing on anyone's mind. That's why military service albums are full of portraits in ammunition depots and there are hardly any images of the inside of a submarine or the deck of a patrol boat.
And when those who served there tell their stories, the same sarracena appears: what wasn't photographed doesn't remain in the archives, but it survives as an anecdote. Like that machine gun on the patrol boat, wrapped in canvas and never seen: the best image of a military service that didn't want to leave a trace.
Have you ever wondered why family albums from the 1980s and 1990s only show soldiers with rifles in a dusty camp, and almost nobody in Navy or Air Force uniform? The answer is no coincidence: those postings were selective, they required a profile that was rarely that of the average conscript, and on top of that a camera was a scarce commodity.
A posting for volunteers and seafarers
Spain's mandatory military service assigned postings according to need, but the Navy and the Air Force barely needed conscripts. The Navy wanted men seasoned at sea or with an education; the Air Force, at least for years, only accepted volunteers. Those who didn't make the cut went to the Infantry, to peel potatoes and stand around. The only way to choose your branch and posting was to volunteer. That's why the few who ended up on a ship or at an air base tend to have singular stories: a patrol boat during the Korean War with a machine gun wrapped in canvas that nobody saw for eight months, or an S-72 submarine that welcomed a conscript class with photos.
The era without mobile phones or digital cameras
Add to that a technical matter: back then there were no digital cameras or mobile phones, and a photograph cost real money. Conscripts on land had more chances to get hold of a camera, but on a ship or at an air base, with fewer fellow soldiers and more control, taking photos was the last thing on anyone's mind. That's why military service albums are full of portraits in ammunition depots and there are hardly any images of the inside of a submarine or the deck of a patrol boat.
And when those who served there tell their stories, the same sarracena appears: what wasn't photographed doesn't remain in the archives, but it survives as an anecdote. Like that machine gun on the patrol boat, wrapped in canvas and never seen: the best image of a military service that didn't want to leave a trace.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (52 replies).
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