Irwin, Floyd A. (Second World War correspondence and Arthur Thompson artwork)

Contributing Institution: Center for American War Letters Archives

Title: Floyd A. Irwin Second World War correspondence and Arthur Thompson artwork

source: Lawson, Martha

Creator: Irwin, Floyd Arthur, Second Lieutenant, 1918-1945

Creator: Robinson, Elizabeth L. née Irwin

Creator: Brown, William E., First Lieutenant

Creator: Thompson, Arthur

Identifier/Call Number: 2023.006.w.r

Physical Description: .25 Linear Feet (4 folders) place holder

Date (inclusive): 1941 July 17 - 1945 September 5

Abstract: This collection contains correspondence from 2nd Lt. Floyd A. Irwin, USA to his sister during the Second World War. Also included are seven illustrations drawn by Arthur Thompson while in North Africa, possibly while recovering from a wound in the European Theater.

Language of Material: English .

Container: WWII 173

Container: 1-9

This collection is open for research.

Gift of Martha Lawson.

This collection is arranged chronologically and by creator.

Second Lieutenant Floyd Arthur Irwin, United States Army (8/2/1918 - 5/24/1945) was born in Santa Rosa, California to Annette "Anita" (Nettie) Jones and George Irwin. He attended Santa Rosa High School and later worked for American News Company when he was drafted by the Army. He entered into military service on July 8, 1941 and trained at Camp Roberts and attached to the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord in California.

Floyd then served with Company A and later Cannon Company, 17th Infantry Reg., 7th Div. During his service, Floyd was promoted from private to PFC, T/3, T/4, T/5, T/Sgt, and lieutenant, eventually earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals. It is unclear for what actions he earned the Bronze Star, but through records found on ancestry.com (confirmed by service number), his Purple Heart was earned from shrapnel fragments from a hand grenade to his face and buttocks/hip, with a note of "removal of foreign bodies from head."

In March 1945 he earned the rank of lieutenant and transferred to Company F, 32nd Infantry, later leading Cannon Company, 32nd Infantry. While fighting in Okinawa he was killed by a sniper in May 1945. He was interred in the United States in 1949 at Santa Rosa Odd Fellow Cemetery in Santa Rosa, California.

Arthur Thompson was known for railroad and maritime photography. Some materials located in the San Francisco Maritime Museum of the National Park Service.

Letters inherited by the donor from her mother, the recipient of the letters. Drawings inherited by the donor from the estate of Thomas E. Mohler, childhood friend of the artist, Arthur Thompson.

This collection may contain materials that are difficult to view, are potentially harmful, or use outdated and culturally insensitive language. Chapman University preserves and makes these materials accessible to researchers to ensure long-term accuracy of these historical records. This repository aims to not promote or otherwise celebrate this content, but to use it for educational and research purposes.

Please see the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) "Statement on Potentially Harmful Content" for more information: https://www.archives.gov/research/reparative-description/harmful-content

[Item title / description; Box "n" / Folder "n"], Floyd A. Irwin Second World War correspondence and Arthur Thompson artwork (2023.006.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 145 letters from 2nd Lt. Floyd A. Irwin, USA to his sister Elizabeth L. Robinson during the Second World War. Also included is one letter from 1st Lt. William E. Brown, USA and life insurance and pension documents pertaining to Floyd Irwin, as well as seven approximately 8x11 inch illustrations drawn by another soldier named Arthur Thompson while in North Africa, possibly while recovering from a wound in the European Theater.

Floyd Irwin's correspondence is addressed to his sister and her husband, Dick, and sometimes their son as "nephew," and begins right after beginning training in July 1941. The correspondence continues until shortly before his death in May 1945 while on Okinawa. He wwrote from training to the defense of California (and continued training) to overseas service. His correspondence discusses training and family matters, giving details on his daily activities and asking about events back home such as the opening of the local fair. He wrote at least one letter each week while in training between Camp Roberts and Fort Ord in California.

In his letter dated December 11, 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Floyd wrote his sister and all that "all is well and as a matter of fact we are having better conditions and food then before war was declared." His unit was moved out of Fort Ord to a municipal auditorium in Eureka, CA (the regiment was spread between San Jose and Eureka, headquartered in Santa Rosa) for defensive positions. The women of the town offered pies and cigarettes and thanked them. For the next several letters he describes their conditions and the situation while in Eureka, including guard duty over the PGE and Hammond Redwood Company.

In January, Floyd left Eureka for Camp Northwester near Willits, CA. For the next few months, discussion is limited to Elizabeth and others, his purchase of a car, and hoping to get passes to come visit her since he was close. In March, they go back on alert status and he is moved back and forth between Eureka, Santa Rosa, Willits, and San Luis Obispo, with a stint of being housed in what he called "the old Washington school building" in Eureka. In mid-March his permanently stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo, with short-term moves, including a reassignment to Cannon Company in July, still at the same camp, and desert maneuvers in August.

In May, Floyd began school to become a radio operator. During this time he did not have much to do, with a few hours of school and the rest of the company out doing maneuvers, and occasional trips to meet his sister, with the only change being his transfer to Cannon Co. on July 17 and writing his first letter from desert maneuvers on August 16 where he had been a couple days and describes over the next several letters until October. While there he was promoted to corporal technician (T/5; technician fifth grade or tech corporal) on August 22, a rank that was introduced in June, and sergeant (T/4; technician fourth grade or tech sergeant) in September.

Floyd's moved back to Camp San Luis Obispo in October 1942 and he began another intelligence course in December, frequently writing asking about how everyone is doing, saying little about his daily activities. During this period he writes a lot about a woman named Vivienne, asking how she is and discussing his relationship with her. He mentions in December making paper guns and houses for a miniature set to study military tactics, though most discussion through March focuses on Christmas, packages, Vivienne, and money, with a return to Fort Ord and maneuvers in San Diego.

Through march, maneuvers and "problems" increased as training became more frequent, as did talk of Floyd's command of other men, occasionally having to discipline AWOL (absent without leave) soldiers. In April he was promoted to staff sergeant (likely T/3; technician third grade, tech sergeant or staff sergeant; though that is the next rank up, he never writes the rank that way) and changes his pay disbursement to go almost entirely to his sister for handling.

On April 21, he sent a code that he could use in the heading of his letters to tell his sister where he is located if he were sent overseas:

Baby: Alaska or Iceland
Dear Baby: Wake or Guam
Dearest Baby: Midway or the Solomons
Baby Dear: Africa or Spain
Baby Dearest: Ireland or England
Baby Darling: Japan or China

The next letter in the collection is dated July 3, 1943 with the heading "Middle of Nowhere," though it is addressed to "Baby;" the codes are never used again. From the next few months, the letters are far less frequent until they pick up again in October.

On October 1, 1943 Floyd mentions fighting and his locations of Attu and Adak in the Aleutian Islands. "Now that things are all clear in the North Pacific, we'll probably be able to relax for awhile." While on Attu he goes swimming, adjusts to the cold climate, and takes in shows, with some discussion of the length of time for mail and packages to arrive and other soldiers he knows on the islands. By November 3, he writes that he is somewhere in the Hawaiian Islands (Territory of Hawaii), though it is unclear when he moved from the Aleutians. There is also occasional talk about his attempts to join the Air Corps.

On December 1, 1943 Floyd responds to Elizabeth thinking she saw Floyd in a magazine while he was on Attu. He says there were newsmen but that his unit has 75mm Howitzers, not "105s" as she apparently saw in the piece. In the same letter, he addresses breaking up with Vivienne, though they remained "best of friends" and continued to write. Postmarked December 10 is a V-Mail with a Hawaiian Christmas greeting, "Mele Kalikimaka, Makahiki Hou." The letters starting in early January are addressed "T/Sgt." signifying his promotion to technical sergeant.

By the letter dated February 18, 1944, with the header "Somewhere in the Pacific," it is clear Floyd has encountered the enemy. In response to a request for souvenirs, he mentions not wanting to "paw over" Japanese bodies, "and their buildings aren't much better," though he did get some Japanese money to send home. He writes Elizabeth:

So you were quite surprised when it was announced in the states and told who it was that had taken the Marshalls (Marshall Islands). It was quite different from up north but from now on I don't think that they will keep it so much of a secret as to what is going on and who is doing it as they were about Attu."

By March 4, Floyd writes that they have been back in the Hawaiian Islands for some time for a period of rest. Letters continue from Hawaii, with little discussion of the war, only talks about people they know, packages arriving, asking Elizabeth to send money, and dental work, with most letters including "no news from down here." In the August 6, 1944 letter he writes, "The nws from down this way is almost nill. About the only thing that I've been doing for the last couple of months is going to the dentist but have finally finished. Had my last appointment yesterday and was I glad of it."

NOTE: July 26, 1944 contains racially insensitive language.

On November 4, 1944 Floyd sent a V-Mail that arrived in its original form stamped "Not Suitable for Filming." He included the header "Philippine Islands" signifying the first letter (in this collection) sent since leaving Hawaii. He suggests having already seen action,

Just a line or tow to say hello and let you know that I'm O.K. You can see by the heading on the letter where we are if you haven't already guessed. Right now we are getting a couple of days rest and are camped right near a river where we can clean up a little."

He goes on to discuss the native peoples, trading cigarettes for laundry services, and observes,

The people here sure are a happy lot now that we have returnred. From the way the Japs treated them it just makes you hate the Japs that much more."

His next letter expresses how difficult it is to write letters, as the weather "is a bit hard on our writing material."

In the letter dated November 17, Floyd writes that they are far from the battle, resting for several weeks. On December 20, he writes to inform Elizabeth that he has been wounded and being sent to a convalescent hospital, though he was hit about ten days earlier and it was "nothing serious." In February, he recounts the incident by saying he in fact shot his assailant with a rifle and killed him.

He continues to write from the Philippines, mentioning the fighting in the rain on January 10, responding to Elizabeth hearing that fighing stopped because of heavy rain, saying "It seems to me that we did a pretty good job here rain or shine and I don't remember when it wasn't raining here during the fight." However, Floyd has continued to be away from the fighting as he mentions in January that Elizabeth might know more about what's going on than he does. While still in Leyte, Floyd was promoted to lieutenant on March 3, 1945 and transferred to Company F, 32nd Infantry, 7th Infantry Division (later he would move to their cannon company). He wasn't "too keen" on the promotion but understands a field commission "is supposed to be pretty nice to get." He discusses the difficulty of going from enlisted to officer and moving units, but things "are going along smoothly."

The letter dated April 15, 1945 was a V-Mail written from "A Foxhole, Okinawa Island." He tells Elizabeth where he is and "while there is a break in the battleI'm getting the chance to write a few letters and let you know that I'm well and safe." He continues:

So far it has been tough enough but hardly as tough as I had expected it to be but of course it isn't over with as yet. One thing that has made it better than Attu and Leyte is the weather conditions...Of all the islands we've fought on so far, I would rather live on this one then any of the others, but it still isn't home sweet home."

The next letter, dated a week later, he responds to his sister's request for a photograph of him in his officer's uniform: "So far it has been a suit of dirty, sweat soaked, and mud caked fatigues the same as any other GI wears and probably will be as long as we're over here."

On April 28 he discusses using stone tombs as a shelter from Japanese shells and on May 13 he wrote from a rest area in the rear.

The last letter, written May 18, 1945 mentions men counting up points to see when they can go home but he has another year of service, plus officers were initially exempt from discharge as they've been deemed "essential." This was the last letter before he was killed six days later on May 24, 1945.

Bronze Star Correspondence On December 20, 1944 Elizabeth wrote to the 17th Infantry Public Relations officer requesting a photograph of Floyd after he earned the Bronze Star, as she had seen one in a magazine. That officer, 1st Lt. William E. Brown, USA wrote to Floyd (letter not included) who wrote back stating he had no idea where that photograph may be, and then Brown responded to Elizabeth with an apology about not being able to find the photograph and that she should check her local paper. His response to her included her initial letter and Floyd's response to his own query.

Drawings by Arthur Thompson:

Illustrated map of California, pencil and water color, dated 11/14/1943
Illustration of German tank on a hill, "Scene at Bizerte, Tunisia," pencil, dated 1943
Illustration of an American ship at sea, pencil and water color, dated 1944
Illustration of boat on a river with pyramids, "Sidi El Radat," pencil, dated 1944
Illustration of people on beach and ships at sea, pencil or charcoal, dated 1944
Illustration of train bending near a river and a farm with snowy mountains, "N.Africa" (likely where it was illustrated, not what is depicted), undated
Illustration of a bridge with city (possibly San Francisco), "N.Africa," "Drawn at the 37th General Hospital, Nov. 17, 1943 in North Africa"
One hard board, 5x7 in, "La clique de la Legion a Marrakech (Maroc), April 30, 1944"

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.

Finding Aid for the Floyd A. Irwin Second World War correspondence and Arthur Thompson artwork 2023.006.w.r