Correspondence of World War II servicemen from Branford College, Yale University, and the manuscript of by Polly S. Buck

The World War II letters were given to the Archives by Polly Stone Buck, who as the wife of Dean Buck, Master of Branford College, corresponded during the world war with servicemen from Branford College. A few years later she wrote the book We Minded the Store documenting the war years at Branford College and the war experiences of Branford men.

The materials have been processed both chronologically and alphabetically. Series I includes general correspondence, chronologically filed to retain the sequence of events of war, from servicemen who wrote once or twice a year. Series II includes the chronological correspondence of William Ruff. This exception was made because these letters were sent to several different people and give insight into one man's frustration with the service. An explanation of who the recipients were appears in the permission to publish folder for William Ruff.

Series III includes permission to publish correspondence and is alphabetically arranged. It contains typed quotes from the men's letters, for which many times Mrs. Buck asks for more thorough explanations, and of course there are the updates of the intervening twenty five years. Access to each individual's wartime letters is possible as the dates of these appear on the front of his permission to publish letter.

A draft of We Minded the Store comprises Series IV.

Photographs which came to the Archives with these materials have been placed in the Yale Picture Collection, YRG 48-A-1.