James N. Morton Second World War correspondence

This collection contains correspondence from Captain James N. Morton, United States Army Air Force, to his family during the Second World War and one correspondence from his son Sergeant James E. Morton to his sister Barbara in 1954. Along with his twenty correspondence and V-Mail messages, Capt. Morton sent a package with six postcards of Stratford-on-Avon in England, forty-nine photographs sent in various correspondence, a secret message envelope, one newspaper clipping, and a bunch of lavendar.

In his correspondence, Captain Morton spends most of his writing describing England and the places he has seen in great detail. There is also an emphasis in 1943 on Christmas, including some photographs of Bing Crosby. Some letters specifically address his wife, Ethel or his daughter Barbara while the bulk address the kids. His son, James E. Morton, is referred to as "Eddie" which is short for his middle name Edwin.

Of particular note are the first letter chronologically, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a letter on June 4, 1944 describing the press coverage of the invasion. In the first letter he explains to his children that he must leave to help in the war effort and justifies the reasoning for men like him to go so far to fight a war to save others. On D-Day, he was still in London but saw the press interviewing the first pilots to return and the excitement of the day.

The last letter in the collection, dated February 28, 1979 from James N. Norton to his daughter and her husband, reminisces on the bombing of Berlin and other targets, the more than one thousand planes overhead, and includes an envelope through which he received secret messages during that time. Included is a clipping from the Daily Express in England, dated June 28, 1943 which includes a John Steinbeck article entitled "The Common Man at War."