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World War II letters, 1942-1945.
MANUSCRIPT 2270-2272
Collection Overview

Title:

World War II letters, 1942-1945
Robert S. Grimm World War II letters, 1942-1945

Creator/Contributor:

Grimm, Robert S., 1918-1996, creator

Abstract:

A collection of 416 letters from Robert Grimm to his wife, Margaret. Letters from Jan. 8, 1942 through the end of 1943 were sent during service in the United States. Letters from 1945 were written during eight weeks on a troop transport and, thereafter, from the Philippines. Some letters are typewritten and a few are on stationery with Army insignia or hotel logos. Also a group of 13 letters written to Grimm from his wife, Myron and Rubie Lyal and G.E. Leonard. Eight photographs and ephemera including an invitation to the Philippine President's birthday celebration, a certificate commemorating the passing of the International Date Line, Philippine paper currency issued during the Japanese Occupation, and magazine cartoons. View certificate:
Robert Grimm's letters during 1942 document a wartime romance as Bob and Marge struggle with the uncertainty of the times. Following his graduation from Fort Lee on Nov. 21 Bob writes: "After all the excitement was over I had a little "heart to heart" with my "former" company commander, and his advice was to get you out here, just as fast as I could, for now, and being in the Army you can never tell from one day to the next, just where you will be, and every day, even minute is precious." They decide to marry and the ceremony takes place on Dec. 22nd. View letter:
Letters from 1943 are written to "My Dearest Darling Wife" when Bob is sent on a lecture tour to army bases in the Southwest; there are no letters during 1944 when the Grimms were not separated. In January of 1945 Grimm shipped out for the Pacific and he recounts his homesickness in daily letters: "I looked at the ocean, that vast amount of water that separates us, and I hated every bit of it." At the end of February he has arrived at his posting in the Philippines and he provides his first impression: "The country itself is like something you read about, but never expect it to be like that. It looks almost like it came out of a picture book, palm trees, native houses, green grass, and all that sort of thing. The nights are just beautiful, moon, palm trees, and so very many stars."
The letters that follow are primarily personal as he and Marge await the birth of their first child (Diana Jeanne born on Oct. 6th). There is little said of his work due to censorship rules but his detailed descriptions of his daily activities convey a sense of life in a land devastated by war. On Dec. 7th, he writes his last letter: "Writing to you, and receiving those sweet darling letters of yours, have been the only things that have made these last 10 1/2 months liveable."

Date:

1942 (issued)

Contents:

Box 2270: 1942-1945 March. -- Box 2271: 1945 April - August. -- Box 2272: 1945 September - December.

Subject:

n-us--- -- n-us-ca -- a-ph---
Grimm, Robert S -- 1918-1996 -- Correspondence
Soldiers -- California -- Correspondence
World War, 1939-1945 -- Philippines -- Personal narratives
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American
United States. -- Army. -- Biography

Note:

Robert S. Grimm was born on February 3, 1918 in Oakland, California. He attended school there and later worked at the Bank of America in Auburn, California. Entering the Army in 1941, he worked in intelligence at Camp Cooke, California and successfully completed Officer Candidate School at Camp Lee, Virginia. There he married Margaret Schafer on December 22, 1942. During 1943 and 1944, Grimm was stationed in Austin, Texas, and Bisbee, Arizona; early in 1945 he shipped to the Philippines. Attaining the rank of First Lieutenant, he was attached to the 4037th Quartermaster Truck Co. and the 384th Quartermaster Truck Co. prior to assignment to the PHIBSEC Headquarters, Judge Advocate Generals Department, in Manila, where he sat on the Lower-court, Traffic Violation Department. Grimm left the Philippines on December 8, 1945 for discharge at Camp Beale, California. View photograph: http://bancroft.library.ca.gov/diglib/image.cfm?id=305&start=31#305
The Grimms' first daughter, Diana Jeanne, was born on Oct. 6, 1945 and their second daughter, Susan, in 1949. In 1954, the Grimm family moved to Modesto where they lived thereafter. Robert worked as a sales representative for the Container Corporation of American until his retirement. He was an active volunteer with the Memorial Medical Center and the county Sheriff's Team of Active Retired Seniors (STARS). He died on Jan. 22, 1996.
Robert S. Grimm World War II letters, 1942-1945.
Finding aid available and a calendar accompanies each box.
Unrestricted. Please credit California State Library.

Type:

biography
Love letters

Physical Description:

print
ca. 437 items : ill., ports

Language:

English

Identifier:

MANUSCRIPT 2270-2272

Origin:

California

Copyright Note:

Unrestricted. Please credit California State Library.