1942 - 1945 ORIGINAL ARCHIVE OF 100 LETTERS HOME HANDWRITTEN BY A CORPORAL IN THE 828TH ENGINEER AVIATION BATTALION NOTED FOR THEIR HELP REBUILDING THE MUNDA AIRFIELD

On offer is a large group of 100 or so original manuscript letters handwritten by African-American Corporal Lawson [Nathanial] McManus [1919 - 1991] between May 25th, 1942 to June 12th, 1945 thusly 23 to 26 years old at the time of writing. Corporal McManus served in the Pacific Theatre with the 828th Engineer Aviation Battalion (Coloured). [The 828th Engineer Aviation Battalion was well noted for aiding in the reconstruction of the famous Munda airfield on New Georgia.] The correspondence whose value to the family is evident as it has been lovingly maintained in an archival binder with approximately 235 pages and weighs over 8 pounds. There are many different styles of envelopes and letterhead paper as the letters follow the Corporal's service career through the United States and then overseas. The letters are for the most part addressed to his mother and father who lived in the tiny hamlet of Hamlet North Carolina halfway between Charlotte and Fayetteville. The letters go a long way to reflect the tenuous but critical lifeline mail from home was to servicemen. Lawson's deep appreciation of the receiving and sending of his letters to and from are palpable. Overall VG.; Manuscript; 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, AFRICAN AMERICAN, NEGRO, BLACK AMERICANA, AFRO AMERICAN, WORLD WAR II, WWII, WW2, LAWSON NATHANIAL MCMANUS, 828TH ENGINEER AVIATION BATTALION (COLOURED), COLORED, PACIFIC THEATRE, WAR IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, AIRMEN, UNITED STATES SERVICEMEN, ENGINEERS, HAMLET, NORTH CAROLINA, CHARLOTTE, FAYETTEVILLE, AMERICANA,HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, AUTOGRAPHED, AUTHORS, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, ARCHIVE, DIARY, DIARIES, antiquité, contrat, vélin, document, manuscrit, papier Antike, Brief, Pergament, Dokument, Manuskript, Papier oggetto d'antiquariato, atto, velina, documento, manoscritto, carta antigüedad, hecho, vitela, documento, manuscrito, Papel,