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David W. Davies Correspondence
mssDavies correspondence
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Title: David W. Davies Correspondence
Dates: 1919-1983
Bulk dates: 1938-1945
Collection Call Number: mssDavies correspondence
Creator:
Davies, David W., 1908-1984
Extent:
14 boxes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection primarily contains personal correspondence sent by
David William Davies (1908-1984) to his wife, Thelma Davies, while working as a librarian and serving in the United States
Army Corps during World War II.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities.
The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with
the researcher.
[Identification of item], David W. Davies Correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
The collection was a gift from Suzanne L. Dibbler, December 30, 2013.
David William Davies was born in 1908. He held three PhDs, (history, library science, and education).
Before arriving at the Claremont Colleges as the first Head Librarian at Honnold Library, Davies was the
former assistant librarian in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. In August 1941 he
was appointed as librarian at Utah State University, College of Agriculture.
On May 21, 1943, Davies joined the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Initially he was assigned as librarian
at a technical library; however, the library closed on September 30, 1943. He was reassigned to a technical school at
Chanute Field, Illinois for cryptography and graduated on October 23, 1943 as a cryptographer.
During his time in the Army, Davies was selected as the enlisted man in charge of the cryptographic section of a signal center.
While overseas, he was stationed in England, France, and Germany. Davies accepted the position as Director of Libraries
at the
University of Vermont in September 1946. In 1948 Davies became the librarian at Claremont and director of the joint library
activities of the four colleges. He passed away in 1984.
The majority of the collection consists of personal letters sent by David William Davies to his wife, Thelma Davies, while
working as a librarian and serving in the United States Army Corps during World War II from 1941 through 1947. Most of
the
letters were sent while Davies was serving in the military, which included his cryptographic preparation at Chanute Field
Air
Force Base, work at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and his deployment in Europe. The correspondence begins in December 1938 when
Davies
was an assistant librarian in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Much of the correspondence
during
this time concerns his wife's health; she was in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Altadena, California. Other common topics
include
work in the library, social life, and a project renovating a house. In August 1941 the correspondence begins in Logan,
Utah
where Davies was appointed as librarian at Utah State University, College of Agriculture. As an ambitious librarian,
Davies "... made several proposals to the President and the Dean of Education for improving the curriculum in library science,
but they do not want to do anything. Well if they do not want to do anything I guess it is all right on account it is their
college" (August 21, 1941).
Davies was accepted for active military service on May 21, 1943. He was inducted at San Francisco Army Induction Station #2
and his reception center was in Monterey, California. After Monterey he moved to Kearns, Utah to a "rugged camp" where
he
"have never seen a such a bunch of hard guys" (May 31, 1943). The bulk of the correspondence during this time is related
to
military life and training. In regards to military life, Davies states, "This life is so easy it is hard to believe. No
work
tomorrow either - I shall read another book" (June 21, 1943).
Before being assigned to a training school, Davies was appointed as a librarian at the Intelligence Technical Information
Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. He complains, "Well the worst has happened but I guess I will not commit suicide. Tomorrow
I have to report to Post Intelligence to start their goddamn technical library" (June 27, 1943). Fortunately for Davies,
the technical library closed on September 30, 1943 to become a basic training center.
In September 1943 Davies trained to become a cryptographer at Chanute Field Air Force Base in Chicago, Illinois. In November
1943 he was stationed for work at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Davies describes in one letter, "I am actually enjoying this bloody
camp. Its informality is very appealing. We wear what we please and lead an easy life - comparatively" (September 15, 1943).
Similar to his camp experience in Kearns, Utah, military life and training is a common topic during this time.
Davies deployed to Europe in January 1944 and arrived in England later that month. He later was stationed in France and Germany.
Although Davies was not on the front lines, he did meet locals with their own stories about the war. "Last night I met
a Pole
who was in the Warsaw revolution. He says that there were 100,000 Poles in that revolution and that 88,000 were killed.
He said
the remaining 12,000 were taken prisoner and spent the rest of the time in concentration camps" (May 17, 1945). The bulk
of the
letters during this time describe military and social life among the Europeans. The United States Army censored some of
the letters
by cutting out certain words and sentences throughout the correspondence.
This collection also includes correspondence and manuscript drafts related to Davies' book
Clyde Browne and
the Abbey Press,
Scott E. Haselton and his Abbey Garden Press, and
Ralph Lloyd
and the Lloyd Corporation.
Ephemera (organized by genre) include brochures, pamphlets, drafts of catalog cards, invitations,
programs, photographs, medals, periodicals, and a print from the United States of America Panama-Pacific International
Exposition
San Francisco.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically. There are a number of letters that appear to be dated incorrectly; they are arranged
according to the cataloger's best judgment.
Brown, Charles Harvey, 1875-1960.
Browne, Clyde, 1872-1942.
Davies, David W., 1908-1984.
Franklin, Sidney, 1903-1976.
Haselton, Scott E. (Scott Edson), 1895-1991.
Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961 -- Appreciation.
Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961 -- Characters.
Abbey Garden Press (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
American Legion.
Bancroft Library.
United States. Army -- African American troops --
Social conditions -- 20th century -- Sources.
United States. Army -- Military life -- History
-- 20th century -- Sources.
University of California, Berkeley.
Utah State University. College of Agriculture.
Collection development (Libraries)
Cryptography.
Forced labor.
Librarians -- Attitudes.
Librarians -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Correspondence -- Sources.
Military libraries -- United States.
Science and technology libraries.
Soldiers -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Correspondence -- Sources.
Strategy.
Tuberculosis.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, African American.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Public opinion.
Berkeley (Calif.) -- Social life and customs.
Chanute Field (Ill.)
Fort Knox (Ky.)
France -- Description and travel.
France -- Social life and customs.
Kearns (Utah) -- Social life and customs.
Warsaw (Poland) -- History -- Uprising, 1944.
Correspondence United States 20th century.
Manuscripts United States 20th century.
Negatives United States 20th century.
Personal correspondence United States 20th century.
Photographs United States 20th century.