Description
Object description
Six airmail letters (12pp, with ts transcriptions, 7pp) dated early 1945 written to Captain Richard Granleese Acton, Royal Marines, 'S' Troop, 44 Commando (3rd Commando Brigade) SEAC, by families of Marines killed or wounded under his command in Burma, responding to his letters of sympathy and showing how such letters could ease their minds, consisting: one letter (2pp, 28 February 1945) from Mrs Graham, wife of Marine William ('Bill' or 'Willie') Graham, who had been wounded, saying that she was happy to know he is among "such fine comrades" and that all at home "are very proud of you all", and thanking Acton for his kindness; One letter (2pp, 28 February 1945) from Mrs Harrison, mother of George Terrell, her son from her first marriage, saying that he was all that was left to remind her of her late husband, thanking Acton for informing her of how her son was wounded (he had lost his leg below the knee to a Japanese grenade) but that she had not heard from the War Office, and that her other son had also been badly wounded while serving with the Royal Navy; One letter (2pp, 5 March 1945), from Mr and Mrs J Shore, parents of Marine Donald Shore, who was killed 26 January 1945 on Hill 170, Kangaw, Burma, thanking Acton for his letter which eased their minds as they now knew that he had a proper funeral service by the unit Chaplain, that Donald's death was a blow as he was the second son they had lost in the war as his brother Jack had died in January 1941, and asking that Donald's cigarettes they sent him be shared out amongst his pals; One letter (2pp, 16 March 1945), from Mrs H J Walters, talking about her husband being wounded, how she had come to expect it and others were worse off, that he was recovering, hoping that the war would end soon, and wishing all the Marines luck; One letter (2pp, 9 April 1945), from Signaller Mary Palmer, ATS, the fiancée of Marine Frank Gordon Lewis, a Driver Mechanic, killed 23 January 1945 on Hill 170, asking Acton if he could possibly give her more news of Lewis' death as "it would make this great loss to me a little easier to bear" and that she was "almost going mad with the thought of it all, he was all the world to me and we had such plans and dreams that now are all gone"; and one letter (2pp, 1 July 1945), from Mrs Margaret Morrison, mother of Marine James Morrison, a Machine Gunner also killed 23 January 1945 on Hill 170, saying that Marine Walters had visited her and had enquired about her son's belongings which still had not been returned to her, and asking about where her son was buried. Together with a passport photograph of Captain Acton taken shortly after the war.
[See also Sound Archive interview with Captain Acton, catalogue number 20482, in which he mentions five of the killed and wounded men by name, and gives a good account of how George Terrell was injured and how he was treated.]
Content description
Six airmail letters (12pp, with ts transcriptions, 7pp) dated early 1945 written to Captain Richard Granleese Acton, Royal Marines, 'S' Troop, 44 Commando (3rd Commando Brigade) SEAC, by families of Marines killed or wounded under his command in Burma, responding to his letters of sympathy and showing how such letters could ease their minds, consisting: one letter (2pp, 28 February 1945) from Mrs Graham, wife of Marine William ('Bill' or 'Willie') Graham, who had been wounded, saying that she was happy to know he is among "such fine comrades" and that all at home "are very proud of you all", and thanking Acton for his kindness; One letter (2pp, 28 February 1945) from Mrs Harrison, mother of George Terrell, her son from her first marriage, saying that he was all that was left to remind her of her late husband, thanking Acton for informing her of how her son was wounded (he had lost his leg below the knee to a Japanese grenade) but that she had not heard from the War Office, and that her other son had also been badly wounded while serving with the Royal Navy; One letter (2pp, 5 March 1945), from Mr and Mrs J Shore, parents of Marine Donald Shore, who was killed 26 January 1945 on Hill 170, Kangaw, Burma, thanking Acton for his letter which eased their minds as they now knew that he had a proper funeral service by the unit Chaplain, that Donald's death was a blow as he was the second son they had lost in the war as his brother Jack had died in January 1941, and asking that Donald's cigarettes they sent him be shared out amongst his pals; One letter (2pp, 16 March 1945), from Mrs H J Walters, talking about her husband being wounded, how she had come to expect it and others were worse off, that he was recovering, hoping that the war would end soon, and wishing all the Marines luck; One letter (2pp, 9 April 1945), from Signaller Mary Palmer, ATS, the fiancée of Marine Frank Gordon Lewis, a Driver Mechanic, killed 23 January 1945 on Hill 170, asking Acton if he could possibly give her more news of Lewis' death as "it would make this great loss to me a little easier to bear" and that she was "almost going mad with the thought of it all, he was all the world to me and we had such plans and dreams that now are all gone"; and one letter (2pp, 1 July 1945), from Mrs Margaret Morrison, mother of Marine James Morrison, a Machine Gunner also killed 23 January 1945 on Hill 170, saying that Marine Walters had visited her and had enquired about her son's belongings which still had not been returned to her, and asking about where her son was buried. Together with a passport photograph of Captain Acton taken shortly after the war.
[See also Sound Archive interview with Captain Acton, catalogue number 20482, in which he mentions five of the killed and wounded men by name, and gives a good account of how George Terrell was injured and how he was treated.]
History note
Cataloguer SJO