Thomas E. Holt Diary, 1942 - 1945

File — Box: 4253.002, Folder: 001

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of one diary kept by Thomas E. Holt, a Captain, then Major, then Lieutenant Colonel in the 343rd Engineer Regiment during World War II. The diary tracks the places he was stationed, the weather, and the various building jobs the Company was assigned from April 1942 through March 1945.

Dates

1942 - 1945

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Biographical / Historical

Thomas E. Holt was born in Illinois on March 26, 1902. He founded the Holt & Reichard, Inc. construction company with E. Paul Reichard in 1926. Holt joined the US Army in April of 1942 as a captain in the 343 Engineer Regiment. From that point until February 1945, when he began his journey home, he was stationed in England (July-October 1942), northern Africa (November 1942-August 1943), Italy (August 1943-August 1944), and France (August 1944-February 1945). During this time he was promoted twice, from captain to major and from major to lieutenant colonel. He died on August 12, 1972.