Description
Object description
A series of 54 ms letters, airgraphs and airmail letter cards (127pp, plus some envelopes) written home to his mother and father, by a junior officer from his call up to his death in action in Burma (25 October 1943), with a letter from Avignon, France, while on holiday, with 'rumours of war going round' (April 1939), writing from 'G' Company 166 Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) in Colchester, Essex (April 1940), as a 2nd Lieutenant with 'D' Company, 6th Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment based in Gunnerton Camp, Northumberland (June 1940), the journey up from Malvern, time in Malvern (August 1940), a scheme in the snow at Haverfordwest (February 1941), in Colchester (March 1941), being attached to 70th Battalion Royal West Kents to guard vulnerable positions, and posting to Leaves Green near Biggin Hill aerodrome, sadness at leaving his platoon (March 1941), thoughts on the German invasion of Greece and Russia, a gas course, doing a Home Guard fire watch for a friend, writing from a ship on the way to India (December 1941 – January 1941), New Year celebrations, writing from Officer's training School, Bangalore, India (February 1942), then Madras (March 1942), with details of his cramped voyage out and first thoughts of India and the Gurkhas (April 1942), learning Urdu, posting to 1st Battalion 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles (63rd Indian Infantry Brigade, 17th Infantry Division) at Dehra Dun, jungle marches in Assam, acting as temporary Captain of 'B' Company (November 1942), Christmas and New Year celebrations (December 1942 - January 1943), promotion to Captain (February 1943), returning from Burma for a course (April – May 1943), time in Saugor and Calcutta, another course at Shillong (September 1943), and returning to his Battalion (October 1943), with throughout references to parcels received, financial matters, friends, commanders, fellow officers and men, war news and international politics, his drunken escapades, leisure time, films and books, weather and monsoons. Together with: a page from his Military Identity Card (July 1940); an unfinished ms airgraph letter (unsent?) by Mrs Violet Mead to her son (1p, March 194?); a ts and ms letter (2pp, October 1943) written by Mr and Mrs Mead to their son mentioning family matters, the letter being returned 'It is regretted that this item could not be delivered because the addressee is reported deceased'; a ms letter to Violet Mead, from her brother, Maurice Tennent, in Kenya, sending his condolences on the news of Lawrence's death (2pp, January 1944); a ts and ms letter to Mead's father by Colonel A B Barltrop, Officer Commanding 3rd Gurkha Rifles (2pp, February 1944), giving details of Lawrence's death in battle as he led 'B' Company 1/3rd Gurkha Rifles in an attack on a Japanese position, and including an eyewitness account by Captain, later Brigadier B G Kinloch, of Mead personally shooting the first Japanese soldier, and being killed by machine gun fire; a ms letter (2pp, February 1944), to Mrs Mead from Bartholemew Peerless, the father of one of Mead's fellow officers, Captain Peter Peerless, sending his condolences and thoughts about the death of so many of Peter and Lawrence's contemporaries (not knowing that by that time Peter was also dead, killed in Italy in October 1943); a SEAC Christmas letter from a fellow officer Peter J Moore to Mrs Mead (2pp, 26 November 1944) saying that Lawrence had been avenged many times, and that due to losing his kit and Mrs Mead's address the letter was addressed to 'Mrs Mead, whose son was killed fighting in Burma, Chichester, Sussex'; a ms letter (3pp, June 1946) from Mead's brother, 2nd Lieutenant John Tennent Mead RE, to his parents, writing from Madras on his way to join a Royal Engineers Field Company in Singapore, with details of his time in Poona, food, and writing to Balliol College for attending when he is released from the Army; a ts and ms letter to John (2pp, September 1945); a ts letter (1p, September 1938) sent to Mead and signed by Lieutenant Colonel J Kalla, attaché to the Czechoslovak Legation, London, thanking him for his sympathies with the cause of his country and offer of help; photocopies of two photographs, one showing Lawrence and John Mead as boys (1932), and one of 2nd Lieutenant John Mead (1944).
Content description
A series of 54 ms letters, airgraphs and airmail letter cards (127pp, plus some envelopes) written home to his mother and father, by a junior officer from his call up to his death in action in Burma (25 October 1943), with a letter from Avignon, France, while on holiday, with 'rumours of war going round' (April 1939), writing from 'G' Company 166 Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) in Colchester, Essex (April 1940), as a 2nd Lieutenant with 'D' Company, 6th Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment based in Gunnerton Camp, Northumberland (June 1940), the journey up from Malvern, time in Malvern (August 1940), a scheme in the snow at Haverfordwest (February 1941), in Colchester (March 1941), being attached to 70th Battalion Royal West Kents to guard vulnerable positions, and posting to Leaves Green near Biggin Hill aerodrome, sadness at leaving his platoon (March 1941), thoughts on the German invasion of Greece and Russia, a gas course, doing a Home Guard fire watch for a friend, writing from a ship on the way to India (December 1941 – January 1941), New Year celebrations, writing from Officer's training School, Bangalore, India (February 1942), then Madras (March 1942), with details of his cramped voyage out and first thoughts of India and the Gurkhas (April 1942), learning Urdu, posting to 1st Battalion 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles (63rd Indian Infantry Brigade, 17th Infantry Division) at Dehra Dun, jungle marches in Assam, acting as temporary Captain of 'B' Company (November 1942), Christmas and New Year celebrations (December 1942 - January 1943), promotion to Captain (February 1943), returning from Burma for a course (April – May 1943), time in Saugor and Calcutta, another course at Shillong (September 1943), and returning to his Battalion (October 1943), with throughout references to parcels received, financial matters, friends, commanders, fellow officers and men, war news and international politics, his drunken escapades, leisure time, films and books, weather and monsoons. Together with: a page from his Military Identity Card (July 1940); an unfinished ms airgraph letter (unsent?) by Mrs Violet Mead to her son (1p, March 194?); a ts and ms letter (2pp, October 1943) written by Mr and Mrs Mead to their son mentioning family matters, the letter being returned 'It is regretted that this item could not be delivered because the addressee is reported deceased'; a ms letter to Violet Mead, from her brother, Maurice Tennent, in Kenya, sending his condolences on the news of Lawrence's death (2pp, January 1944); a ts and ms letter to Mead's father by Colonel A B Barltrop, Officer Commanding 3rd Gurkha Rifles (2pp, February 1944), giving details of Lawrence's death in battle as he led 'B' Company 1/3rd Gurkha Rifles in an attack on a Japanese position, and including an eyewitness account by Captain, later Brigadier B G Kinloch, of Mead personally shooting the first Japanese soldier, and being killed by machine gun fire; a ms letter (2pp, February 1944), to Mrs Mead from Bartholemew Peerless, the father of one of Mead's fellow officers, Captain Peter Peerless, sending his condolences and thoughts about the death of so many of Peter and Lawrence's contemporaries (not knowing that by that time Peter was also dead, killed in Italy in October 1943); a SEAC Christmas letter from a fellow officer Peter J Moore to Mrs Mead (2pp, 26 November 1944) saying that Lawrence had been avenged many times, and that due to losing his kit and Mrs Mead's address the letter was addressed to 'Mrs Mead, whose son was killed fighting in Burma, Chichester, Sussex'; a ms letter (3pp, June 1946) from Mead's brother, 2nd Lieutenant John Tennent Mead RE, to his parents, writing from Madras on his way to join a Royal Engineers Field Company in Singapore, with details of his time in Poona, food, and writing to Balliol College for attending when he is released from the Army; a ts and ms letter to John (2pp, September 1945); a ts letter (1p, September 1938) sent to Mead and signed by Lieutenant Colonel J Kalla, attaché to the Czechoslovak Legation, London, thanking him for his sympathies with the cause of his country and offer of help; photocopies of two photographs, one showing Lawrence and John Mead as boys (1932), and one of 2nd Lieutenant John Mead (1944).
History note
Cataloguer SJO