The majority of the collection relates to Captain Leslie Avery Shaw's military service in the U.S. Army, especially during World War II when he served in the 11th AAA, 49th AAA Brigade, VII Corps, U.S. First Army in Europe. Included are maps and overlays concerning operations at Utah Beach at Normandy, orders, citations, reports, photographs, letters, postcards, military ribbons and insignia, and items from his personal military file. Additional items including many photographs document his personal life after the war. Photographs, printed material and memorabilia from the 1950s and early 1960s relate to the early years of his son Robert Avery Shaw's life in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Leslie Avery "Mike" Shaw was born January 1, 1906, in Washington, D.C., the son of Avery Shaw and Ethel Crockett Shaw. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1927 with a degree in engineering and held a commission in the U.S. Army Officer Reserve Corps--rising from 2nd lieutenant (1927-1932) to 1st lieutenant (1932-1942) to captain (1942-1945) and to major (1945). He served in the Coastal Artillery Corps for a number of years while working for Graybar Electric Company in Durham, N.C., and was called up for World War II in March 1942 as a battery commander for trainees at Fort Eustis, Virginia. During the war he completed the Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Schoool at Camp Davis (North Carolina), was assigned to the 11th AAA Group at Fort Fisher (North Carolina) as assistant Plans Operations and Training Officer (S-3), and served in the 11th AAA, 49th AAA Brigade, VII Corps, U.S. First Army in Europe (1942-1945). Captain Shaw was a liaison officer to VII Corps and participated in Operation Tiger at Slapton Sands, landed on Utah Beach at Normandy (June 6, 1944) and served in the Battle of the Bulge and the defense of the bridge at Remagen. He received a Bronze Star and became a Major in 1945 and returned to work at Graybar Electric Company after the war ended. He married Sarah Frances "Panny" Faircloth on January 26, 1939, and they had two children: Robert Avery Shaw and Sandra Shaw Stallings. Major Shaw died on July 19, 1989 in Rocky Mount, N.C.
2004-04-05, 134 items; .47 cubic feet; Papers (1914-1969) relating to Leslie Avery Shaw's military service as 2nd Lieutenant 1927-1932, 1st Lieutenant 1932-1942, Captain 1942-1945, and Major 1945; a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (engineering), he held a commission in the Officer Reserve Corps., U. S. Army; worked for Graybar Electric; was called up for World War II as a Battery Commander for trainees, Fort Eustis, Virginia; completed the Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA) School, Camp Davis, North Carolina; assigned to the 11th AAA Group at Fort Fisher, N.C. as assistant Plans Operations & Training Officer (S-3); served in the 11th AAA, 49th AAA Brigade, VII Corps, U.S. First Army in Europe., 1942-1945; was a liaison officer to VII Corps and participated in Operation Tiger at Slapton Sands; landed on Utah Beach at Normandy, 6/6/1944 and served in Battle of the Bulge and defense of the bridge at Remagen; received the Bronze Star, 1945; wartime papers include map overlays and maps, orders, concerning operations at Utah Beach; postwar papers relate to his service in the U. S. Army Reserve and Graybar Electric Company, and include personal records, photographs, postcards, German Imperial & Weimar Republic paper currency, items pulled from letters, etc. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2004-04-05, (unprocessed addition 1); 31 items; .25 cubic feet; Papers (1939-1945, undated) relating to Leslie Avery Shaw's military service as 2nd Lieutenant 1927-1932, 1st Lieutenant 1932-1942, Captain 1942-1945, and Major 1945, including printed materials, clippings, copies of scrapbook photographs, museum objects, etc. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2004-04-05, (unprocessed addition 2); 30 items; .50 cubic feet; Papers (1939-1945, undated) relating to Leslie Avery Shaw's military service as 2nd Lieutenant 1927-1932, 1st Lieutenant 1932-1942, Captain 1942-1945, and Major 1945, including clippings, correspondence, printed forms, printed materials, photographic prints, museum objects, etc. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2004-05-11, (unprocessed addition 3); 196 items; .25 cubic feet; Papers (1942-1946.) from Shaw's military service personnel file ("201 file"), including correspondence, orders, receipts, reports, etc. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2004-08-27, (unprocessed addition 4); 570 items; 2.0 cubic feet; Papers (1939-1953.) primarily consisting of correspondence with his family during his military service in United States, England, France, Belgium and Germany, 1941-1945. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2004-11-04, (unprocessed addition 5); 20 items; .007 cubic feet; Maps & overlays relating to the Allied invasion of Europe at Utah Beach, Normandy through the end of World War II in Europe (1943-1945) digitized from originals in #992.1.a, #992.1.os1.1, #992.1.b.6 #992.2.1.os1 on 1 compact disc; with print out of index to compact disc & of 18 maps. 1 cd & 19 print outs. Compact disc deaccessioned 9/19/2024. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2005-02-08, (unprocessed addition 6); 177 items; .25 cubic feet; Photographic scrapbook and miscellaneous letters, clippings, printed forms, etc. (1939-2004) relating to the military service and family life of Leslie A. Shaw, before during and after World War II. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2005-03-15, (unprocessed addition 7); 22 items; .04 cubic feet; Newspaper clippings & map (1937-1986) relating to World War II and historic national events. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2005-08-11, (unprocessed addition 8); 3 items; .04 cubic feet; English Channel, Beaumont-Hague, France Map (1943). Topographical Sheet 5 E/2. Scale = 1:50,000. Geographical Section, General Staff No. 4250. Published by War Office, 1943. 2nd edition, 1943. Grid map, color. 2 Digitized images (High Resolution PDF, 52.8 MB; Low Resolution TIF, 281 MB) on 1 Compact Disc #13; 2 prints of digitized images (8.5" x 11"). Note: See #992.1.os1.7 for original map. Compact disc deaccessioned 9/19/2024. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2005-09-09, (unprocessed addition 9); 14 items; .01 cubic feet; Collection (1953-1962) of photographic prints, printed material, memorabilia, and museum objects relating to Leslie Avery Shaw's son, Robert Avery Shaw's participation in football, rifle shooting, at James Craig Braswell Grammar School, R. M. Wilson Junior High School, Rocky Mount Senior High School, East Carolina University, Midget Football Elks Club, etc. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2008-01-17, (unprocessed addition 10); 17 items; .01 cubic feet; Collection (1945-1967, undated) of photographic prints relating to Leslie Avery Shaw's son, Robert Avery Shaw, including his childhood, bedroom, residences, holidays, school dances, his attendance at James Craig Braswell Grammar School, R. M. Wilson Junior High School, Rocky Mount Senior High School, in Rocky Mount, and his military service in the North Carolina National Guard, Ft. Ord, California; also compact disk with digital copies of images and inventory. 13 black & white, 3 color prints. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
2015-08-20, (unprocessed addition 11); .50 cubic feet; Addition includes World War II-related items belonging to Leslie Avery Shaw including military medals of honor, ribbons and battle stars, and uniform patches. Also included are photographs (1912, 1944, undated) of Shaw and family members, Shaw's Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute commencement program and invitation (1927), family history information, and North Carolina newspaper articles (2006) from the Rocky Mount Telegram and the Daily Reflector that discuss Leslie A. Shaw's participation in D-Day. Donor: Robert Avery Shaw
Gift of Robert Avery Shaw.
Encoded by Martha G. Elmore, September 14, 2007.
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. The donor and the University will share literary property rights equally until February 16, 2029, when all literary rights will revert to East Carolina University.