Unidentified photographer
1945 (ca)
The "Sunshine Bakery" at Camp Top Hat, Antwerp

Gelatin silver print, mat
Bazar Nadar / Wouter Lambrechts
The group of women, men and soldiers is posing before a barrack called 'Sunshine Bakery'. A large cartoon baker is painted under the name and above the door.
 
The official name of the camp was 'Headquarters, United States Staging Area, Antwerp, Belgium, APO 562' but nicknamed Tophat by the US soldiers.
 
It was a huge tent city set up to process American troops who were either going back to the States or to the Pacific Theater of Operations.
 
This camp was build with the help of German POW's. There was a cinema, barber, ice cream bar, poker clubs, the Red Cross post, … and a bakery.
 
LL/100894