HIS 121 - War and Conflict Research Guide: Digitized Resources

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The University of Kentucky Training and Fighting mechanic records consist of eighteen bound volumes documenting the May-December 1918 vocational training of three contingents of soldiers at the University of Kentucky. These photographs show events of the Camp and progress in shops and laboratories from the time the men arrived in Lexington until they were sent away to various camps. They detail camp administration, training sessions, social activities, athletic competitions, and troop departures from Union Station in Lexington.

The Howard I. Kinne papers document his life as a student in Kentucky and soldier in the First World War. Included are letters from Kinne dating from 1912 to 1918 and photographs of other servicemen taken during his Army training in the States. Letters from Kinne's family and from his fellow servicemen discuss his Army service, his disappearance, and his death. The collection contains a scrapbook, with clippings, postcards, and photographs, and a journal kept by Mrs. Fogg during her trip to France in 1933.

The Tandy M. Pryor photographs collection includes 261 prints pasted to photographic album pages taken during and after World War I. The album documents the war from the French, British, German, and American points of view up to the signing of the armistice by the Germans and the return of American troops to their homes in 1919. This collection not only covers many aspects of actual military activity, such as the use of biological weapons and other new technologies, but also the people and places surrounding the conflict.

The George Canary Jr. letters (dated 1939-1945; 3.42 cubic feet; 10 boxes) primarily comprise letters from George to his wife and extended family documenting his military training and later deployment to Europe during World War II. A majority of the letters are from Cpt. George Canary, Jr. to his fiancé and later wife, LaVerne Canary (Mayer). Many of these are love letters, illustrating the strain on romantic relationships for soldiers serving overseas. This collection is also sprinkled with humor, including a satirical newsletter Canary wrote about life in the military.

The Vilmer Voyles World War II prisoner of war diary (dated 1942-1988, bulk 1942-1945) comprises loose papers that make up a diary documenting the experiences of Voyles as a prisoner of war by the German military during World War II in Northern Africa, Italy, and Germany. The entries are written on whatever the prisoners could get their hands on - scraps of paper, cardboard, and food wrappers.

The Antonio M. Ulrich prisoner of war recipe book (dated 1944-1945) comprises one book of recipes compiled by Antonio Ulrich and other prisoners at the Zentsuji POW Camp during World War II. The recipes in the book include breads, chili, corn pone, and a variety of sweets and desserts. There is also a list of one days meals at home, special dinners for celebrations, a Maine shore dinner, foods to try, sandwich spreads, where specific food can be purchased, and a list of places to eat across the United States.

John Jacob Niles was a musical composer, performer, and author from Kentucky. He is one of the most prominent researchers and composers of Appalachian folk music, and widely surveyed Eastern Kentucky to preserve musical traditions and to compose new songs. Niles served as a U.S. Army pilot in World War I, and this scrapbook records his experience as a soldier as well as his study of music. He was badly injured in a plane crash during the war.

The Jack and Norah Parker letters (dated 1918-1919) comprise letters sent between the couple that document the loneliness associated with an overseas deployment, everyday life, and predictions on the future during World War I. The collection consist mainly of romantic letters sent from Norah to Jack while he was stationed abroad and stateside, but there are two letters from Jack sent to Norah. In her letters Norah expresses her love for him and talks about her loneliness, looking for a job, the weather, family planning, family members, frustration at not being able to meet or join her husband at military camps stateside, and whether or not their future lay in Louisville once he obtained his discharge.

The Dessie (Gumm) Sharp letters (dated 1919-1945) comprise letters during World War I that document the life of an Army recruiter and during World War II that document the experiences of a soldier who was a prisoner of war. The majority of the letters are from Roy Sharp to Dessie that discuss his travels as a recruiter during World War I, plans for their impending marriage, and thoughts on a job outside the U.S. Army. There are a few letters from her son, Edward, that discuss being able to go home for the birth of his child and how he is recovering from his time in a prisoner of war camp.

This project consist of interviews about the experience of veterans of the First World War. World War I was fought from 19-14-1918 with the United States joining in 1917. The topics covered in these interviews include living in trenches, vermin, and dealing with the constant threat of poison gas attacks. They discuss their training, the experience of crossing the Atlantic by boat to get to Europe and to get back to the United States. They discuss their varied battlefield experiences in France, and discuss their life after the war.

World War II veterans from Kentucky discuss campaigns in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific; the attack on Pearl Harbor; Anzio, Italy; the Battle of the Bulge; the United States Army Air Force; bombing raids; Iwo Jima, Japan; Saipan; Guam; kamikaze attacks; submarine warfare; the Bataan Death March in the Philippines; the Palawan Massacre in the Philippines; and the experiences of prisoners of war. Also included are interviews with women veterans of various services and organizations. (Only those interviews with "Access: Online" listed next to them are already digitized and available online.)

Use the Library of Congress database to search for "World War I posters" and "World War II posters". Their holding include a good amount of propaganda posters produced and printed for both war efforts in the U.S.

This online exhibit includes images of propaganda posters, as well as a narrative that explains their role and function in wartime.

This collection of over 1,500 World War I posters in Temple University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center provide a graphic portrayal of Allied propaganda used to educate the public and enlist support for the war effort. In addition, they serve as examples of the art, design, and printing techniques of the period.