Overview of the Collection
Biographical Information:
Access Terms
Administrative Information
Scope and Contents
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Raymond C. Fleming Collection
Dates: 1941-1946
Identification: SC/RCF
Creator:
Fleming, Raymond C., 1916-
Physical Description: 0.42
linear feet
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Special Collections
Abstract: Raymond Fleming enlisted in the US Army
on January 29, 1942 on Christmas Island, where he worked as an Assistant Engineer. He
served in the Pacific Theater as an Army Engineer throughout 1942.The collection
documents his experiences on Christmas Island in late 1941, especially on Pearl Harbor
Day, and as an Army Engineer in the Pacific Theater in 1942. It consists primarily of
diaries written by Fleming between November 1941 and June 1942, and one diary from 1946
that documents his experiences immediately following the war, including his civilian
work and marriage.
Note:
This collection was purchased with funds generously donated by Gus and Erika
Manders.
Biographical Information:
Raymond Creffield Fleming was born August 19, 1916 in Washington state. After he and his
family moved to San Francisco, he attended the University of California, Berkeley where
he served in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). In November 1941, he
sailed on the SS Haleakala from Honolulu to Christmas Island, where he worked as an
Assistant Engineer until enlisting in the US Army on January 29, 1942. He served in the
Pacific Theater as an Army Engineer throughout 1942.
From 1944-1945 Fleming worked as an Assistant Mining Engineer for Kaiser Company, Inc.
in Oakland, CA. After becoming engaged to Shirley Robertson in December of 1944, Fleming
was transferred to Texas, where he and Shirley married in February of 1945. He worked in
Blue Diamond, NV in 1946.
Access Terms
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Genre/Form of Material:
Ephemera
Paper records
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s)
of this collection has not been transferred to California State University,
Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or
reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners.
Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of
the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Scope and Contents
The Raymond C. Fleming Collection documents Fleming's experiences on Christmas
Island in late 1941, especially on Pearl Harbor Day; his experiences as an Army Engineer
in the Pacific Theater in 1942; and his experiences immediately following the war,
including his civilian work and marriage. The collection consists primarily of diaries
written by Fleming between November 1941 and June 1942, as well as one diary from 1946.
The diaries written during the war include a lengthy entry on Pearl Harbor Day,
descriptions of his work building an airstrip on Christmas Island, his daily activities,
interactions with his fellow soldiers, leisure activities, and news and events on the
island and beyond. The diary from 1946 includes a description of his courtship and
marriage, and his civilian work as an engineer in various locations across the US. The
collection also includes Fleming's US Army enlistment papers, hand-written notes,
and ephemera.