Special Collections

Letter dated 22 May 1943

Manuscript letter from Major J Jarmain, describing life in the camp along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa.

Tags: Africa, Algeria, North African Campaign, rationing, Second World War, war

Letter dated 25 June 1944

Copy of letter from France mentioning the effect of war on the French landscape. The letter was written the night before John Jarmain was killed at Saint Honorine la Chardonne.

Tags: France, Invasion of Normandy, Normandy Campaign, Operation Overlord, Second World War, war

Manuscript letter mentioning every day life in Sicily, managing an abandoned luxury hotel and climbing Mount Etna, including sketches of the volcano. There are also references to Stromboli and Lipari volcanic islands, the strait of Messina, Tobruk…

Tags: Etna, Italian Campaign, Italy, Second World War, Sicily, volcanoes, war

Letter dated 28 May 1943

Manuscript letter including a list of negatives of pictures taken in North Africa, with references to Djidjelli [Jijel], Kherratta and Setif in Algeria, Takrouna in Tunisia, Tripoli, Agheila and Leptis Magna in Libya.

Tags: Africa, Algeria, Libya, North African Campaign, Second World War, Tunisia, war

Letter dated 28 October 1942: draft of poem 'Tel El Eisa'

Manuscript letter including a draft of the poem 'Tel El Eisa' and references to life in the desert near El Alamein and the battle field. Also mentioning the publication of some of his work in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

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

Letter dated 28 September 1942

Manuscript letter including references to everyday life in the army, including meals, flies, in the desert near Cairo and Alexandria.

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

Letter dated 28 September 1943

Manuscript letter mentioning every day life in Sicily, a party at the camp site with members of a travelling concert party including a performance by Gracie Fields and another tea party held by local Italian aristocracy. Also including references to…

Tags: Gracie Fields, Italian Campaign, Italy, Second World War, Sicily, war

Letter dated 29 August 1942

Manuscript letter including references to everyday life in the army camps and three South African coins. Also mentioning receiving a cable or cablegram with news of his daughter's birth and wandering how the baby looks like.

Tags: Africa, desert, Desert War, Egypt, North African Campaign, Second World War, war, 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 30 April 1943

Manuscript letter mentioning life in the army in Tunisia, the North African war, Tunis and ancient Carthage, Jerusalem, the film 'Desert Victory' by Boulting and the Bishop's Stortford's cinema, African birds.

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

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

Letter dated 31 July 1943

Manuscript letter from Sicily.

Tags: Invasion of Sicily, Italian Campaign, Italy, Second World War, Sicily, Sicily landing, war

Letter dated 4 April 1943

Manuscript letter including references to the publication of the poems and royalties. Envelope also including a newscutting, a Christmas card and a couple of letters to John, some poems by Sarah Stailey: 'The Return of Persephone', 'Beware!',…

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

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

Letter dated 5 September 1943

Manuscript letter mentioning every day life in Sicily and his having started another poem. Also including references to Messina, Castel Mola, his visit to Taormina and a Greek Theatre, Castiglione di Sicilia, Etna and the landscape.

Tags: Etna, Italian Campaign, Italy, Second World War, Sicily, war

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

Letter dated 8 July 1943

Manuscript letter.

Tags: Invasion of Sicily, Italian Campaign, Second World War, war

Letter dated 9 December 1942

Manuscript letter including references to the battle of El Alamein, the life in the desert, birds, his finances, banks, hotels and Cairo. Also discussing good books including mentions of James Elroy Flecker, Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf, 'A…

Tags: Africa, Battle of El Alamein, Cairo, Cyrenaica, desert, Desert War, Egypt, Libya, North African Campaign, Sahara, Second World War, war, Western Desert Campaign

Letter dated 9 November 1942: draft of poem 'Orchids'

Manuscript letter written after the battle of Al Alamein including a draft of the poem 'Orchids/Song in the Desert' and references to the battle and the retreat of the Germans and Italians.