Special Collections

Transcripts of the letters of John Jarmain

Transcripts of 120 letters of the poet John Jarmain to his wife Beryl, with whom he regularly corresponded after travelling to North Africa and South Italy during the Second World War. The letters are dated from 17 June 1942 to 04 November 1943.…

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

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 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 16 December 1942: draft of poem 'Tobruk' and revisions of 'Sandbags' and 'For Alemein [Alamein]'

Manuscript lettercard from the Libyan desert including a draft of the poem 'Tobruk' and revisions to the poems 'Sandbags' and 'For Alemein'.

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

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

Aerogram dated 8 December 1942: draft of poems 'For Alemein [Alamein]' and 'Soldiers' Prayer'

Manuscript lettercard probably written from Cyrenaica, Libya, including a draft of the poems 'For Alemein' and 'Soldiers' Prayer'.

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

Letter dated 14 November 1942

Manuscript letter from the desert including references to the war news and reports of battles and life in the desert. Also discussing his poetry and the poems 'Soldiers' Prayer' and 'Orchids'.

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

Aerogram dated 13 November 1942: draft of poem 'Ring Plover at El Alemein [Alamein]'

Manuscript lettercard written after the battle of El Alamein including a draft of the poem 'Ring Plover at El Alemein'.

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

Airgraph dated 11 November 1942

Manuscript letter including references to life in the desert, war and Rommel.

Tags: Africa, Battle of El Alamein, desert, Desert War, Egypt, North African Campaign, 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.

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

Aerogram dated 2 November 1942: draft of poems 'Tel El Eisa' and 'Sandbags'

Manuscript lettercard including a draft of two more poems to be included in the collection 'Poems in the Western desert': a revised version of 'Tel El Eisa' and 'Sandbags'.

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 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

Airgraph dated 28 October 1942: amendment to poem 'Bivouac'

Manuscript letter mentioning the acceptance of some of Jarmain's work by the 'Daily Telegraph' and including an amendment to the poem 'Bivouac'.

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

Items (14 total)