Cornelius Bradford Marsh Jr. Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2013.05-A

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Two primary themes are found in this collection. First, Lt. Capt. Marsh provides numerous descriptions of his surroundings in Leyte, as well as general accounts of day-to-day activities for American soldiers on the island. Second, he expresses his deepest wishes to return home to his wife, even at the onset of his travels. Marsh’s letters recount the difficulties of waiting for orders to get to work and orders to go home.

The collection is divided into two series. The first series contains Lt. Capt. Marsh’s letters home to his wife, Mary Lynn Marsh. The letters are arranged chronologically. The second series contains photos of Cornelius and Mary Marsh, newspaper clippings concerning military activities and the Marsh’s marriage, Lt. Capt. Marsh’s military records, and a number of postcards and miscellaneous correspondences.

Dates

Creation: 1942-1959, unclusive
Creation: Majority of material found in 1945,

Creator

Marsh, Cornelius Bradford (Person)
Marsh, Mary Lynn Gibbs (Person)

Conditions Governing Use

Items in this collection are protected by applicable copyright laws.

Biographical / Historical

Lt. Capt. Cornelius Bradford “Brad” Marsh, Jr. (1921 February 25 - 2007 January 5) served in the U.S. Army Coast Artillery during World War II after graduating from Texas A&M University in May 1942. He was stationed first at Ft. Ord, California before being deployed to Base K Redeployment Camp in Tacloban, Leyte in 1945. During his time in Leyte, Lt. Capt. Marsh processed soldiers who were stopping in the Philippines before redeployment elsewhere. He corresponded almost daily with his wife, Mary Lynn Gibbs Marsh (1921 May 24 - 2012 July 21), whom he married in June 1942. Marsh left Leyte in November 1945, after experiencing a number of intense headaches that placed him in the hospital.