William W. Davis Papers
Series
Scope and Contents
The collection contains 111 letters from Major William W. Davis of the United States Army Medical Corps Tenth Evacuation Hospital to his wife, Mary Davis of Louisville, Kentucky, while he was stationed in New Guinea from 29 January 1943 through 19 September 1943. In October 1943 he was transferred as a patient to the 363rd Station Hospital and then to the Forty-Second General Hospital in Australia to recover from typhoid fever from January through March 1944. He writes to his wife Mary about his friends, the dependency of the postal service, his sickness, wanting to come home, photography, entertainment, and interacting with aborigines. In one letter he states that he overheard something in the ward that he thought was about him. He writes, "While having lunch a moment ago I was interested to hear some ward conversation I wasn't supposed to hear. The partitions are quite thin and much open space. Down the hall one of the boys said, 'It doesn't look like a doctor ought to get typhoid he ought to know better.' Think that applied to me - I am quite sure it did."
Dates
- 1940 - 1950
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
Major William W. Davis was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps 10th Evacuation Hospital. He was stationed in New Guinea from 29 January 1943 through 19 September 1943. He transferred to the 42nd General Hospital in Australia, January through March 1944. His wife, Mary Davis, lived in Louisville, Kentucky.
Extent
From the Collection: 3 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
General
Formerly MSS.2434
Processing Information
Processed by Christen Robichaud, 2011.
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository