The two previous photos I posted of Fats Waller and Anita returning to New York from England on 14 June 1939 are probably from his return from England a year ealier on the same Ile de France ocean liner, which departed Southampton on 1 October 1938.
The passenger manifest for the ship for 1938 has Anita as a passenger, while the 1939 manifest does not.
In addition, Maurice Waller in his book about his father, states that Anita decided not to accompany Fats on his 1939 trip because she wanted Maurice and his brother Ronald to attend to their schoolwork.
Having (hopefully) straightened that out, I might mention that during his 1939 trip he composed the tune "Anita" and recorded it for Victor on 28 June 1939 after his return to New York. Here's the record label of the issue on a Bluebird 78 rpm record.
And here is my attempt at siound restoration from the original Bluebird 78 rpm record . . .
https://clyp.it/1b5e5sgu
