Columbus (Ohio)

Scope and Contents This collection includes letters written to Arnold Busch, a basketball coach for Calvary Methodist Church in Lakewood, Ohio, by the students he previously coached. Whether drafted or enlisted, many of the men kept up a correspondence with Busch throughout the war years. This collection also includes Calvary Church newsletters and pamphlets, pamphlets regarding persons registered for service, ration books and other rationing documents, and letters returned to Busch because their recipients were MIA, deceased, or relocated. Also included are photographs of Calvary Church activities on the Homefront, the basketball team, and the Calvary Church’s V-J Day service as well as a copy of an...

Scope and Contents

Collection of letters, telegraphs, and family photographs exchanged between 1st Lieutenant  Herman G. Ramsey and his family in Columbus, Ohio. Twenty-four letters lead up to Ramsey’s death in 1944 while being transported on a Japanese POW ship en route to mainland Japan. Also included is a letter from Dick Clark, a fellow POW who survived the war, offering his condolences to Herman’s family. The collection also contains an album of family photographs along with condolence letters from General Douglas MacArthur and Army Major General James L. Collins.

Content Description

This collection relates to Richard Knight who served in the U.S. Army in the 11th and 5th Infantry Divisions in the European Theater during World War II. This collection contains an oral history transcript where Knight discusses his service in Iceland, Ireland, and France. He also discusses his experience as a prisoner of war in the 12A work camp which was liberated by the Russians.

Scope and Contents

This collection relates to United States Marine Corps Private First Class William C. Erler who served as a Paramarine, and later with the 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division during World War II.  William C. Erler was killed in action at Iwo Jima on March 2, 1945.  The collection consists of photographs and several personal letters and papers, as well as artifacts, a parachute, gas mask, pins, marksmanship badges, and medals, including his posthumously awarded Purple Heart.

Content Description

This collection consists of six letters from Richard Bruce Worley, a U.S. Navy fireman who entered the service in 1944 and spent most of his time in northern and central California. The letters, dating from November of 1944 to June of 1945, are written to his parents in Ohio and describe a variety of his experiences living on army bases.