1945 - 1946 ORIGINAL WWII ERA MANUSCRIPT LETTERS HANDWRITTEN BY A WINNIPEG CANADA NATIVE WHO WOULD GO ON TO BE ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST NOTED EXPERTS IN 18th CENTURY LITERATURE

On offer is an excellent collection of letters written by a U.S. soldier in WWII to his parents. The collection contains 84 letters. They are in good condition and the handwriting is legible. Arno Edgar Wallace Maurer was 23 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. army. Entering as a Private, he finished the war as a Staff Sergeant. Born in 1921 in Winnipeg, Canada, he lived until 2015, passing away at the age of 94. After the war he received B.A. and M.A. from the University of Manitoba and PhD from the University of Wisconsin, and was teaching English literature at the Ohio State University for over 50 years specializing in the 18th century literature. He published extensively on John Dryden, and was one of the editors of The Works of John Dryden published in 1989. The letters were written to his parents. His father, Carl Dietrich Wallace, was an American pastor who had been appointed to a Canadian church congregation in Winnipeg, MB. The letters cover the period Jan 1945 to June 1946. They offer a detailed look into the day-to-day life of a soldier posted to a domestic base. Maurer was posted to a Signals Training Battalion and stationed first in Missouri and later in New Jersey. The letters begin in January, 1945 right after he enlisted. "Dear Mama and Papa It's like a night in late summer out here now. I moved today to another section of the Camp where I will be taking 6 weeks of basic training as they tell me. Most of this letter is going to be made up of asking for things. I wonder whether you could send me two locks with keys not quite the size of my bicycle lock. One of them is for the big sack in which I tote my clothes and equipment about and the other is for the footlocker in which I keep my stuff in the barracks. Then I should have about 1/2 doz wire clothes hangers which are not to be gotten around here. ... At the earliest moment now I mean to send home the suitcase ... My new address to which you can write fast now is Pvt A.E.W. Maurer 19193912 Co "A", 28th Sig Tng Bn Camp Crowder, Missouri, USA ... Wallace" [Jan 24, 1945]; "Dear Ma & Pa No mail from you yesterday Yesterday I was called into the Orderly Room and told to report to the Classification and Assignment Section. When I got there I found that "they" were taking down a list of musicians in the camp. I don't know what will come of it but I want music now if it isn't too much trouble to send it. In another letter I asked for the Rhapsody in Blue ... If one should develop a toehold in entertainment here, one might get into Special Service though I'm not gunning for anything except to be as active and employed as possible and the piano is as good as the next thing. ..." [Feb 6, 1945]. He writes almost daily. Some letters are long, others quite short. But they always offer a tidbit of information about life in Camp Crowder: "Had your letter of 22nd today. ... This morning we went into the prison compound and searched it for tools, knives, unauthorized letters, etc. A periodic search. The "Strength For Service" book is alright. Is Derrick in the army now? Believe I will stay here. I'm not sure when we'll be called out this noon. Wallace" [Mar 23, 1945]. By May, 1946, he has been promoted to Staff Sergeant and posted to Fort Dix, NJ. "Dear Ma and Pa Got home alright late yesterday afternoon. It was certainly a nice trip. I left on Thursday morning with 87 men in my charge in 3 cars ... I registered a compartment for my office and travelled like a little big shot all the way. We travelled down via Trenton, Cincinnati and Louisville to Fort Knox. ..." [May 5, 1946]. This collection gives a very good look at the daily life of an American soldier stationed within the United States during WWII. The many details recounted offer a researcher or historian an excellent way to cross-reference and or corroborate information garnered from other sources. A social historian would also find this a first-rate look at the lives of Americans in the service during this period.; Manuscript; 32mo - over 4" - 5" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF; 20TH CENTURY; 1940s; UNITED STATES; WWII; U.S. ARMY SIGNAL TRAINING BATTALION; CAMP CROWDER, MO; FORT DIX, NJ; OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS; UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA ALUMNI; SECOND WORLD WAR; WINNIPEG; CANADA; MANITOBA; CARL DIETRICH MAURER; WARTIME CORRESPONDENCE; SOLDIERS' LETTERS IN WW2; TRAINING CAMPS IN AMERICA DURING WW2; FORTS IN MISSOURI; FORTS IN NEW JERSEY: A.E. 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