James C. Hughes' POW toothbrush

Toothbrush used by Colonel James C. Hughes as a prisoner of war during World War II. During the time Hughes suffered from chronic tooth problems that caused him terrible pain. On December 27,1944 he described the problem: "Oh whoa is me! My number four upper right tooth which had a gold crown on it broke at the gum line!! Thats three of them now with not even good sized stumps to chew against - #s3 & 4 left and #4 right uppers gone with nothing but roots and jagged short stumps left…"

Hughes, a Kansan, is among a select number of soldiers who served in a major military expedition and two world wars. As a photographer he documented his time at the Mexican border in 1916 and in Europe in 1919 taking more than 600 images. As a Japanese prisoner of war in World War II, Hughes kept a daily diary and, upon liberation, brought home items from his imprisonment. He and his family donated most of these items to the Kansas Museum of History.

More information at: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/james-clark-hughes/19881