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Walter Ervin Letters to Helen Ervin Regarding Status as a Prisoner of War

Om2596_2934253_004

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Title	Walter Ervin Letters to Helen Ervin Regarding Status as a Prisoner of War
Subject	Ohio Women Military Ohio World War II Soldiers Prisoners of war
Place	Athens (Ohio) Athens County (Ohio) Germany
Description	This letter was written to Helen Ervin by her husband, Walter Ervin, when he was a prisoner of war during World War II. He discusses how he never expected this phase of warfare, but feels that he is safer now than he had been since he left. A second letter, dated May 14, 1945, was written shortly after Ervin was freed from the prisoner of war camp. The first letter is two pages long and measures 6" x 13.75" (15.24 x 34.93 cm). The second letter is four pages and measures 6" x 8.25" (15.24 x 20.96 cm). Walter R. Ervin (1914-2003) was born in Greenbrier County, West Virginia and moved to Athens County, Ohio when he was a child. After graduating from Athens High School in 1933, he began working for the Athens Ice and Storage Company until he reported for Army duty on December 8, 1941, the day after the U. S. was attacked at Pearl Harbor. His first duty station was with Western Defense Command in Gilroy, California, where he trained as an infantry scout. In June 1943 Ervin married Helen Sheridan, a 1939 graduate of Ohio University and secretary for football coach Don Peden. The following March, he shipped first to North Africa and then to Naples, Italy. He took part in the invasion of southern France in August 1944, and his division became part of the left flank of the 3rd Army group of Lieutenant General George Patton. Ervin was captured near Colmar, France on January 23, 1945 and spent the next five months as a German prisoner of war at Stalag VII. He was freed on May 11, 1945 and discharged from the Army as a corporal on October 18, 1945. Upon his return to Athens, Ohio he again went to work for the Athens Ice and Storage Company and in 1955 bought the Athens Culligan Company. He later moved to Millfield, Ohio.
Creator	Ervin, Walter R., 1914-2003
Date of Original	May, 1945
Collection	Walter Ervin Collection
Source	Unpublished material (archives/manuscripts) MSS 144
Submitting Institution	Ohio University, Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections
Type	Text
Format	manuscripts

Title	Om2596_2934253_004
Rights	For rights and reproduction requests, go to the Ohio Historical Society's Audiovisual and Graphic Reproduction Services page at http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/audiovis/photodup.html; Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information
File Name	Om2596_2934253_004.tif
Image Height	5534
Image Width	2406
File Size	5691.074 KB
Full Text	[corresponds to page 1 of letter from Walter Ervin while a prisoner of war] Kriegsgefangenenpost [underlined] Correspondance des prisonnier de guerre An MRS. WALTER R. ERViN A P.O. BOX #55 Besetztes Gebiet Südfrankreich Empfangsort: ATHENS Territoiro occupe France meridionale Lieu de destination Nichtzutreffendes streichen Strasse: ATHENS Biffer les mentions inutiles Rue Kreis: OHiO Arrondissement Gebuhrenfrei! [underlined] Franc de port! Landesteil: U. S. A. Dept. [upside down] Absender: Expediteur Vor- und Zuname: P.F.C. WALTER R. ERViN, 35270245 Nom et prenom Gefangenennummer: No. du prisonnier Lager-Bezeichnung Designation du camp Deutschland (Allemagne) [underlined] [English translation of page 1] Prisoner of War Mail [underlined] To MRS. WALTER R. ERViN P.O. BOX #55 Occupied Territory South France City/Destination: ATHENS Cross out where not appropriate Street: ATHENS District: OHiO No postage necessary [underlined] State: U. S. A. [upside down] From: Full Name: P.F.C. WALTER R. ERViN, 35270245 Prisoner's number: Camp Name Germany

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Walter Ervin Letters to Helen Ervin Regarding Status as a Prisoner of War

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