"Mementoes of Days in Service" details Lawrence Layden's service in World War II from his induction in June 1941, six months before Pearl Harbor, until his formal discharge in December, 1945. Part of the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Layden's squadron provided aerial reconnaissance for Operation Overlord and the assault on Nazi Germany. Through photos and text, Layden's scrapbook follows him from his initial assignment in Louisville, Kentucky to bases in England and continental Europe. The album contains reconnaissance photos used in the assault on Europe, photographs of Layden at various bases throughout the war and several photographs of Buchenwald concentration camp, visited by Layden six days after its liberation.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, discussing his options of where and when to leave his Navy post and the post-war changes being made to the island. Enclosed is a letter from Robert F. Knoth to Sidney Legendre regarding the possibilities and profit of the timbering of Medway Plantation.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, praising their housekeeper, Rose, discussing Medway Plantation business affairs, describing her job and general business affairs.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, recounting a story about the policemen they met at the tennis courts and describing how “secretive” his brother, Morris, has become.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his brother, Armant Legendre, lamenting Armant’s lack of release from the Navy and recounting a story he heard about the entire fleet chasing a single submarine around the Pacific.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, lamenting the poor weather they had on his day off from the office, preventing him from going to the beach, and relaying his boredom with how routine his life has become.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding a trip she recently took to Virginia with friends and speculating over whether or not she should join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs).
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding her job transfer, whether it be to Hawaii or elsewhere. Gertrude continues to deliver news of the children’s summer on Watch Hill and news of their friends.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding where they should live after the war, life in London, England, and discussing her plans for the rest of the war.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding news of the war, relaying news of their friends, and providing him with a description of their daughter, Bokara. Gertrude continues in her letter to inform him that she sent her new puppy back to the kennel for training and things she has recently sent him.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding her social activities in London, England, a day she spent golfing with friends in the country, shortages of items in the city, and relaying news of their friends.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, lamenting how long it has been since he last saw her, discussing the social activities she described in her last letter, and recounting he and Morris’s first trip to the Outrigger beach club. Sidney continues in his letter to describe the Outrigger club, their first attempts at surfing, and a movie they had just seen called “Holiday Inn.”
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, responding to the social activities she described in her last letter, explains why he has ceased to have indigestion, and laments that their telephone conversation was so short. Sidney continues in his letter to recount a story of him getting locked out of the apartment.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, recounting the events of his Christmas Day, thanking her for her gifts, and describing the gifts he received from their children and other family members.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, thanking her for sending pictures of herself with the children and for his Christmas presents. Sidney continues in his letter to recounting a story told to him by a friend who was rescued from the ocean after his ship, the aircraft carrier Lexington, sank, and relaying the events of a day off he spent driving around the island, going to the beach for swimming and watching the surfers.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, describing a report he had heard about a woman escaping the German guard to cross the border into Switzerland and asking if the escaped woman was her. Sidney continues in his letter to recount a meeting he had with an old friend and discuss what has occurred on his side, as it pertains to her capture and release. This letter was written to Gertrude when she was a prisoner of war in Europe and was likely to have been received in the package that was given to her upon her escape and return to the continental United States.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding her job in the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) taking her to England and all the preparations she was making for the plantation and their children.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding a pair of earrings she recently bought at Cartier and her disappointment at already losing one down a subway vent.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, recounting the events of a Sunday off from the office that he spent lounging around the apartment as a result of the rain prohibiting him from going to the beach. Sidney continues in his letter to insist that he and Morris and hermits and lament their return to society after the war.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, responding to the accusations she made in her last letter about him withholding information about their social activities on the island, that they had purchased a house, and that he was not writing to her “APO number.”
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, recounting the events of a Sunday off that he spent touring the island and going to the beach.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding life in New York after her return from Europe, the return of a friend from the war, and the week she spent with their relatives, Katherine and Charlie. Gertrude continues in her letter to discuss a possible scheme to join him in Hawaii.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, thanking him for the gift of a silver and gold fish pin she recently received. Gertrude continues in her letter to comment on her brother-in-law, Morris Legendre, becoming a father.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Sanford Legendre, discussing his life in Hawaii, recommending she find an assistant for her job and also that she uses the dictaphone machines for letter writing. Sidney continues in his letter to discuss plans for the children, the family dogs, and news of their friends and family.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Sanford Legendre, questioning her on how she was able to host a cocktail party, regarding news of Hawaii, and discussing plans for the children. Sidney continues in his letter to describe his Navy job and responsibilities.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, praising how she describes her social activities in her letters and how well she has positioned the children for a wonderful summer at the beach. Sidney continues in his letter to describe a house he and Morris had visited and providing her advice on various aspects of her life; from exercise to obtaining a taxi cab.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, reminiscing on their hunting parties at Medway Plantation, rejoicing over the photographs of Gertrude and Bokara he had received, and recounting the events of a Sunday off from work spent swimming at the Outrigger beach club. Sidney continues in his letter to describe a drive he and Morris took around the island, the game of tennis they played, and their cooking competitions at the apartment.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, describing his Christmas, the gifts he had received, and the atmosphere of the office the day after Christmas.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, describing the “plumeria” flower on the front of the card, discussing their plans for New Years Eve, and the difficulty to obtain wine in Hawaii. Sidney continues in his letter to describe the khaki clothes of their uniform and the transition period their office is going through.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, recounting the miscellaneous contents of their dinner that evening, discussing the progress of the war, and thanking her for the Christmas gifts she had their housekeeper, Rose, send. Sidney continues in his letter to describe the Christmas gifts she should have received from him.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding the weather, plans to attend dinner and a play with friends, and the dinner party she is hosting the following evening.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, describing a quarantine as a result of an outbreak of Dengue fever, an incident where a plane flew into a bus of people, and an afternoon he spent playing tennis with a friend. Sidney continues in his letter to discuss what soldiers will do after the war. [Copy]
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding how busy she is at her war job, her social activities, her new puppy, and how much she misses their dog Clippy.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding news of the war, a boy who will soon be carrying a letter to him in Hawaii, and the improvements she’s making to the house she’s renting.
Letter from Sidney Legendre to his wife, Gertrude Legendre, describing a day he spent at the beach swimming and surfing, a beautiful house on a hill they had toured, and advising her on the business affairs of Medway Plantation.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, describing a weekend she spent hunting birds with friends in the English countryside. Gertrude continues in her letter to express how she wishes to join him in Hawaii and discuss his most recent letter.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding their daughter, Bokara’s, birthday party, discussing business affairs, Sidney’s dress shop in Hawaii, and his return to the continental United States.
Letter from Gertrude Legendre to her husband, Sidney Legendre, regarding an outdoor concert she had attended, day dreaming of their lives if she could join him in Hawaii, and her war job. Gertrude continues to discuss the life he has described to her in Hawaii.
