Jolley Family Letters, 1943 - 1945

File — Box: 4253.003, Folder: 012

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 12 letters written by Amy, William Jr., and Jack while William and Jack were in the Armed Services during World War II – William with the 363rd Infantry, 91st Division in Italy and Jack with the 642nd Engineer Company in New Guinea. Amy’s two letters, dated July 12 and July 29, 1944, to William were returned as he was initially declared missing in action and then confirmed dead on July 24, 1944. His last letter, dated July 17, 1944, was written to Amy and her family from “Somewhere in Italy” and mentions that he’d been in combat. The bulk of the letters in this collection were written by Jack and describe the heat and the natives of New Guinea. He also described how a Japanese bomber broke apart as it was attacking the airstrip. The postcard and a note card were written to Jack by his niece, Amy’s daughter Jessie. The final three letters were written to Mr. and Mrs. Jolley by friends. The first, dated May 5, 1944, was from James Beresford serving on the H. M. S. Kilchattan based in London, England. In it he regretfully declines an invitation to visit the Jolleys in Asbury Park, but explained that he did not get the invitation until after his return to England. The second letter, dated September 19, 1944, was written by Hilda Roberts of Australia stating that she had a letter from Jack saying that William was missing. She offered to “make life happier for him [Jack] while in this part of the world.” The final letter was written by Lt. Clarence R. Truscott of the H.M.S. Kilmington based in London, England. It is a chatty letter describing V-E Day while on board ship and wonders how his wife and son will react once he is home to stay. There is also an “Enlisted Man’s Pass” made out in the name of Private Jack Jolley for a visit to Washington D. C. from 1730 (5:30pm) on February 13, 1943 to 0630 (6:30am) on February 15, 1943. There are two photographs in the collection. The first is an undated picture of William “Bill” and Jack together in uniform. The second is a group photo taken on Leyte in the Philippine Islands in 1944. The caption on the back of the photo says “Philipino family, Jack’s driver and his 2 sergeants.”

Dates

1943 - 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

The Jolley family immigrated to the United States from Ashford, Kent, England in February 1923 aboard the S.S. Albania; Amy was 17, William Jr. was 13 and Jack was 3. They settled with their parents William and Elsie Jolley in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Both boys enlisted in the Armed Services early in World War II; William “Bill” served with the 363rd Infantry, 91st Division and saw action in Italy. He was killed on July 24, 1944 in or near Florence, Italy and is interred there. Jack was with the 642nd Engineer Company on New Guinea in the Philippine Islands. Amy married Carl Schou and had a daughter, Jessie. They lived in Oakhurst, New Jersey.