Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection is made up of the incoming and outgoing World War II-era correspondence of John T. McHale, Jr., of Washington, D.C., and his wife, Betty Jane Henery of Zanesville, Ohio. John wrote to Betty while serving in the United States Army Air Forces, and the couple received letters from family members, servicemen, and Betty's female acquaintances.

This collection is made up of the incoming and outgoing World War II-era correspondence of John T. McHale, Jr., of Washington, D.C., and his wife, Betty Jane Henery of Zanesville, Ohio. John wrote around 220 letters to Betty while serving in the United States Army Air Forces, and Betty wrote about 50 letters to John about her experiences while he was away. The couple also received letters from family members, servicemen, and Betty's female acquaintances.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of Correspondence, particularly the letters that John T. and Betty McHale exchanged during the war. Their letters document several aspects of their relationship, including the effects of lengthy periods of separation. In his early letters (April 1943-September 1943), John T. McHale commented on aspects of military life and training at various stations in the United States, and Betty initially wrote about her experiences in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was a member of an orchestra. From October 1944-October 1945, McHale wrote from Hawaii, New Guinea, and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), where he was a pilot with the 7th Combat Cargo Squadron, Fifth Air Force. He mentioned the "Tokyo Rose" radio broadcasts and frequent bombing raids by Japanese planes. In March 1945, his squadron celebrated the birth of his son. By the summer of 1945, McHale was stationed in the Philippines, where he noticed the destructive effects of the war on Manila, and he was later based in Okinawa and at the Yokota Army Airfield near Tokyo. In October 1945, he anticipated his return to the United States.

John T. and Betty McHale received letters from many correspondents during the war, particularly from their parents and from Betty's female friends from her time in Albuquerque. Marvel Goodman and others commented on their lives after their orchestra dispersed in 1943. Infrequent postwar letters from acquaintances are dated as late as 1948, and Andrew H. Henery sent a birth announcement for his son in 1952.

Receipts and Ephemera include greeting cards, a church program, birth announcements for John T. McHale III, receipts, a financial voucher, and a list of postwar addresses for a group of military officers.

This collection contains around 150 incoming letters that Miriam Kline of New York City received from men serving in the United States Armed Forces throughout World War II. They described their experiences and exercises at army training camps and other military bases within the United States.

This collection contains around 150 incoming letters that Miriam Kline of New York City received from men serving in the United States Armed Forces throughout World War II. They described their experiences and exercises at army training camps and other military bases within the United States. She also wrote 2 letters and sent 2 Christmas cards to soldiers.

Sergeant Walter C. Jessel and Private David W. Hoefer wrote most of the earlier letters between July 1941 and June 1942. Jessel, a friend, shared his experiences in the army both before and shortly after the Pearl Harbor attacks, and Hoefer often wrote Miriam about his life in the army and about his affection for her, though he wrote less frequently after she declined his romantic advances in mid-June 1942. Throughout the war, Kline continued to receive letters from Jessel, Hoefer, and 14 other servicemen, primarily from bases in the United States. They described many aspects of everyday life in the army, army air forces, and coast guard.

Enclosures include 3 photographs of Walter C. Jessel in uniform, newspaper clippings, and humorous cartoons. Jessel drew a picture of his transport train in his letter postmarked October 13, 1941. Later items include letters that Miriam wrote to Jessel and to Lieutenant R. H. Davis in 1945, as well as Christmas cards she sent to Davis and to Allan Isakson.

The Walter Crane papers contain 88 letters, 2 postcards, and 1 Christmas card written by Corporal Crane to Ruth Backof, a former high school classmate, while he served in the Machine Gun Company of the 138th Infantry Regiment during the First World War. He described his experiences in training at Camp Clark, Missouri, and Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma. Crane also reported extensively on his involvement in combat along the Western Front, including his service in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and on life in the trenches.

The Walter Crane papers contain 88 letters, 2 postcards, and 1 Christmas card written by Corporal Crane to Ruth Backof, a former high school classmate, while he served in the Machine Gun Company of the 138th Infantry Regiment during the First World War.

Crane wrote his first letters while training at Camp Clark in Nevada, Missouri, in September 1917. He inquired about mutual friends and reminisced about his time at McKinley High School in St. Louis, Missouri. After moving to Oklahoma's Camp Doniphan in late October, he discussed his fellow soldiers, training exercises, and leisure activities. On December 25, 1917, he copied lyrics to a soldiers' song entitled "When Our Machine Guns Are Starting to Roar (for Me and My Gal)," and mentioned that his unit played sports in their spare time. Several envelopes bear the skull-and-crossbones insignia of the 138th Infantry Regiment's Machine Gun Company.

In April 1918, Crane moved to Camp Mills on Long Island, New York, and made final preparations to travel overseas. A May 14, 1918, letter provides an account of the trip. He first wrote from France on May 25, 1918, describing his journey across England. The remaining letters contain his impressions of France and news of his military engagements. Crane's vivid war letters mention both simulated battles (July 30, 1918) and real engagements. His stories of life in the trenches include several featuring trench rats. Between August and October, he wrote about his experiences in combat along the front lines just before and during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive -- the letters dated August 18, 1918, and October 6, 1918, are especially detailed. After November 1918, Crane’s company stayed in training near "Grimaucourt," France, despite the armistice. He continued to describe his daily life and on December 12, 1918, he copied three pages of poetry written by Sergeant S. F. McElhiney, a member of his company. On April 23, 1919, he wrote his final long letter while aboard the USS Kroonland, and, after he landed in the United States on the 29th, he sent Ruth a brief telegram.

The two French postcards are dated October 9 and December 21, 1918, and the Christmas card (1917) bears the insignia of Crane's unit. These three items are filed with the correspondence.