Finding Aid for the James N. Morton Second World War correspondence 2017.288.w.r
Andrew Harman
Center for American War Letters Archives
7/23/2018
Leatherby Libraries
Chapman University
Orange, CA 92866
speccoll@chapman.edu
Contributing Institution:
Center for American War Letters Archives
Title: James N. Morton Second World War correspondence
Creator:
Morton, James Newton, Captain, 1894-1984
Creator:
Morton, James Edwin, Sergeant, 1932-2017
source:
Gochnauer, N. Lea
Identifier/Call Number: 2017.288.w.r
Physical Description:
.16 Linear Feet
(2 folders)
Date (inclusive): 1943 May 14 - 1979 February 28
Date (bulk): 1943 May 14 - 1944 August 14
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence from Capt. James N. Morton, USAAF, to his family during the Second World War, as well
as one letter from his son, Sgt. James E. Morton, USA, to his sister Barbara.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: WWII 21
Container: 13
Container: 1
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of N. Lea Gochnauer in memory of Barbara Morton Imbt.
This collection is arranged in chronological order. Photographs are arranged with the correspondence with which they were
sent.
Captain James Newton Morton, United States Army (11/12/1894 - 4/1984) was born in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania and married
his wife Ethel in 1925. They had two children, Barbara and James Edwin "Eddie" by 1932. Capt. Morton trained with the Army
in Colorado Springs, Colorado and left for England during the Second World War in May 1943 as a First Lieutenant as part of
the 22nd Photo Squadron. He spent his time in England working with several units' public relations and witnessed the takeoff
and landing of thousands of planes for the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. He earned Captain in July 1943 but it
remains uncertain how long he stayed in the service. Capt. Norton passed away in April 1984 in Camp Hill, PA.
Sergeant James Edwin "Eddie" Morton, United States Army (11/8/1932 - 9/12/2017) joined the Army and served in Korea with Battery
"C", 26th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (Self-Propelled). He remained in 1954 when he turned 22 years
old and wrote to his sister Barbara that he hoped to come home soon.
[Item title / description; Box "n" / Folder "n"], James N. Morton Second World War correspondence (2017.288.w.r), Center for
American War Letters Archives, Chapman University, CA.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
This collection contains correspondence from Captain James N. Morton, United States Army Air Force, to his family during the
Second World War and one correspondence from his son Sergeant James E. Morton to his sister Barbara in 1954. Along with his
twenty correspondence and V-Mail messages, Capt. Morton sent a package with six postcards of Stratford-on-Avon in England,
forty-nine photographs sent in various correspondence, a secret message envelope, one newspaper clipping, and a bunch of lavendar.
In his correspondence, Captain Morton spends most of his writing describing England and the places he has seen in great detail.
There is also an emphasis in 1943 on Christmas, including some photographs of Bing Crosby. Some letters specifically address
his wife, Ethel or his daughter Barbara while the bulk address the kids. His son, James E. Morton, is referred to as "Eddie"
which is short for his middle name Edwin.
Of particular note are the first letter chronologically, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a letter on June 4, 1944 describing
the press coverage of the invasion. In the first letter he explains to his children that he must leave to help in the war
effort and justifies the reasoning for men like him to go so far to fight a war to save others. On D-Day, he was still in
London but saw the press interviewing the first pilots to return and the excitement of the day.
The last letter in the collection, dated February 28, 1979 from James N. Norton to his daughter and her husband, reminisces
on the bombing of Berlin and other targets, the more than one thousand planes overhead, and includes an envelope through which
he received secret messages during that time. Included is a clipping from the Daily Express in England, dated June 28, 1943
which includes a John Steinbeck article entitled "The Common Man at War."
There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the
responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Correspondence -- World War, 1939-1945
World War (1939-1945)
World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, American
World War (1939-1945) -- Battlefields -- France
World War (1939-1945) -- London -- Personal Narratives
World War (1939-1945) -- Homefront
World War (1939-1945) -- Europe
World War (1939-1945) -- Christmas
World War (1939-1945) -- Caricatures and Cartoons
World War (1939-1945) -- France
World War (1939-1945) -- England
World War (1939-1945) -- Photography
Theater
United States -- Army -- European Theater of Operations
United States -- Army -- Air Forces
Photographs
Travel photography -- 20th Century -- Pictorial Works.
World War (1939-1945) -- Poetry
Poetry.
Short stories, American -- Periodicals
War stories -- Periodicals
Newspaper clippings
Korean War, 1950-1953.
Korean War -- (1950-1953) -- Correspondence
Gochnauer, N. Lea
Morton-Imbt, Barbara, 1928-2017