Special Collections

Letter dated 31 December 1942: draft of poems 'Soldiers' Prayer' and 'For Alemein [Alamein]'

Manuscript letter including drafts of the poems 'Soldiers' Prayer' and 'For Alemein' and references to the life in the desert with the army.

Tags: Africa, Battle of El Alamein, Christmas, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Sahara, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 4 January 1943: draft of poem 'New Year 1943 Agheila'

Manuscript lettercard including a draft of the poem 'New Year, 1943, Agheila'' and references to the life in the desert with the army

Tags: Africa, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Sahara, Second World War, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Airgraph dated 10 January 1943

Manuscript letter.

Tags: Africa, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 11 January 1943: draft of poem 'Fear'

Manuscript lettercard from the Libyan desert including drafts of the poem 'Fear' and references to the battle of El Alamein, air raids and Tavistock in Devon.

Tags: Africa, Battle of El Alamein, Desert War, Devon, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 13 January 1943

Manuscript letter including references to the life in the desert, the army, aircraft and spitfires, RAF and US AAF, El Alamein.

Tags: Africa, Battle of El Alamein, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Airgraph dated 20 January 1943

Manuscript letter mentioning the desert.

Tags: Africa, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 20 January 1943: draft of poem 'Leptis Magna'

Manuscript letter including a draft of the poem 'Leptis Magna', references to the journey through the desert along the Libyan coast up to Leptis Magna and the arrival to Tripoli, deliveries and mail. Also including some literary discussion of poetry,…

Tags: Africa, desert, Desert War, Leptis Magna, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 30 January 1943: draft of poem 'Sand'

Manuscript lettercard from Tripoli including a draft of the poem 'Sand' and references to his experience in Tripoli.

Tags: Africa, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Somerset, Tripoli, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 29 January 1943

Manuscript letter from Tripoli including references to his experience, an ordered list of the poems sent, a small sketch. Also mentioning helping an Italian family living in the city and local street sellers.

Content Advice: This letter contains…

Tags: Africa, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 6 February 1943

Manuscript letter from Tripoli including the story of an Italian family, from Sicily, who had moved in Libya in 1912, after the Italo-Turkish war. The narration provides an insight in the recent history of the Libyan colony and in the current war as…

Tags: Africa, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 11 February 1943

Manuscript lettercard from Tripoli including references to Churchill, his writing break and lilies.

Tags: Africa, Churchill, desert, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 12 February 1943

Manuscript letter from Tripoli including references to the scarcity of food supplies in the city due to the retreat of the German and Italian soldiers.

Tags: Africa, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, Western Desert Campaign

Airgraph dated 16 February 1943

Manuscript letter mentioning J C Powys.

Tags: Africa, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 21 February 1943

Manuscript letter from Tripoli mentioning the poem 'Soldier's Prayer', the difficulty to express in writing how it feels like being a soldier, their alienation and homesickness.

Tags: Africa, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 4 March 1943

Manuscript letter mentioning the structure of the poem 'Soldier's Prayer', the desert, Suez and the river Nile.

Tags: Africa, Desert War, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 10 March 1943

Manuscript lettercard including references to Cairo and Tripoli and a second 'Alamein' poem on which Jarmain has started to work.
The battle of Medenine was on the 6th March

Tags: Africa, Desert War, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tunisia, Tunisian Campaign, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 12 March 1943

Manuscript lettercard including references to Monty or Bernard Montgomery and the new direct air service from Tripoli he asked Churchill for his soldiers, the Eighth Army, one of the most famous formations of the British Army during World War Two.…

Tags: Africa, Churchill, Desert War, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 21 March 1943

Manuscript letter discussing about the poems 'Yone May', 'For Alemein [Alamein]', 'Orchids', 'Sand' and including references to Capetown, Tripoli and a scheme including Italian speaking interpreters, Churchill, jobs options after the end of the war,…

Tags: Africa, Cape Town, Churchill, Desert War, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tripoli, Tunisia, Tunisian Campaign, war, war poetry, Western Desert Campaign

Aerogram dated 26 March 1943: draft of poems 'The Desert Army' and 'These Poems'

Manuscript lettercard including the poems 'The Desert Army' and 'These Poems', probably written from the Mareth line and sent from Medenine in Tunisia.

Tags: Africa, Battle of the Mareth Line, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tunisia, Tunisian Campaign, war, war poetry

Airgraph dated 31 March 1943

Manuscript letter referring to the battle of the Mareth Line.

Tags: Africa, Battle of the Mareth Line, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tunisia, Tunisian Campaign, war

Items (122 total)