(Manuscript Collection #564-001)
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | Destroyer Escort Commanding Officers Collection: Walter Francis Martin, Jr., Papers |
| Creator: | Martin, Walter Francis |
| Repository: | ECU Manuscript Collection |
| Languages: | English |
| Abstract: | Papers (1911-1912, 1923, 1939-1950) including correspondence, reports, instructions, handbooks, clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous. |
| Extent: | 0.461 Cubic feet, 511 items , consisting of correspondence, reports, instructions, handbooks, clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous. |
Administrative Information
Accessions Information
February 1, 1989, 511 items; Papers (1911-1981), including correspondence, reports, instructions, handbooks, clippings, photographs, and official files of World War II Destroyer Escort officer, along with items reflecting his father's service. Gift of Mr. Walter Francis Martin, Jr., New Canaan, Connecticut
Access Restrictions
No restrictions
Copyright Notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Preferred Citation
Destroyer Escort Commanding Officers Collection: Walter Francis Martin, Jr., Papers (#564.001), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Acquisition Information
- Gift of Mr. Walter Francis Martin, Jr.
Processing Information
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Processed by J. Holland, March 1990
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Encoded by Apex Data Services
Biographical / Historical Note
Walter Francis Martin, Jr., (b. 1912) was a 1934 graduate of Yale University and an insurance broker by profession. During World War II, Martin obtained a Reserve commission and served as an intelligence officer, an instructor, and a staff officer at ComDesRon 49 and ComDesRon 2, where he was chief staff officer. He also served briefly on the USS LUDLOW.
Description
Correspondence (1939-1950) reflects events which span Martin's naval experience. Letters (1939-1940) document his effort to obtain a commission. Other letters (1941-1942) discuss his experience as a naval intelligence officer working as a boarding officer in New York and New London harbors. Personal correspondence (1943-1945) reflects living conditions on the flagships of ComDesRon 2 in the Pacific during World War II. Martin's squadron, consisting of destroyers and destroyer escorts, primarily was involved in general convoy escort duty throughout the South Pacific. Of interest are letters describing the aftermath of the invasion of Okinawa, including living conditions and prisoner-of-war camps. The remaining letters (1946-1950) concern his experience in the active U.S. Naval Reserve, including letters pertaining to the February 1950 Reserve cruise of the USS LUDLOW (DD438) where Martin served as the executive officer.
Official Naval instructions and procedures (1941-1942) pertain to the questioning of wartime travelers from enemy occupied areas. Papers on the USS LUDLOW (1950) include many facets of the Reserve ship's 1950 cruise, from operations to the material condition of the ship. Military papers of Martin, Sr., (1911, 1912, 1923) include a leave request and a letter concerning a Distinguished Service Medal.
Clippings concern wartime conditions in the Pacific and European theatres, attacks on the Japanese-occupied Philippine Islands, and progress of the Allies in reconquering Europe. Included as well are many "missing in action" clippings.
Photographs are of Martin when he was aboard ship in the Pacific (1943-1945). Miscellaneous items include awards and citations received.
For related material see Oral History #111.
Online access to this finding aid is supported with funds created through the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). These funds come through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which is administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. This grant is part of the North Carolina ECHO, Exploring Cultural Heritage Online, Digitization Grant Program.
