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 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 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 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

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 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

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 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 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

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 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

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 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