Papers, 1941-1945.

ArchivalResource

Bywater, Charles. Papers, 1941-1945.

Papers, 1941-1945.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47942678

Four manuscript diaries (1941-1945), Bywater's release book (1945), a black-and-white photograph of Bywater in uniform (1942); and two medals (1945). The diaries chronicle Bywater's activities and emotions while serving as a clerk in the British Army in Bombay and Poona, India, and Columbo Fort, Ceylon. His daily entries from November 4, 1941 to December 1, 1945 concentrate primarily on his homesickness for his wife, Mary; his intense distress when he receives a letter from her in February 1943 requesting a divorce ("Makes me realize ... the Hell I have to face when this war is over. No Home of my Own! No Wife! nothing left at all which I came out to protect and fight for."); and his battle to reconcile himself to this new state of marital affairs while being forced to remain in India. He also records the girls he sees after the breakup of his marriage; the motion pictures he watches; where he eats; his health and sleeping patterns; and what household items he buys and their cost. The diaries contain little information about his work or the war itself. In the front and back of each diary Bywater also recorded how much he was paid and how much he spent every month. From November 11-December 1, 1945, the entries describe his sea journey home to England, including the countries and geographic landmarks by which the ship passes. Acquired as part of the William B. Hamilton Collection of British Manuscripts. (01-062).

8 items.

Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library