Notebooks/Diaries, 1942-ca. 1945
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Capt. George W. Duffy Papers document his time as a prisoner of the Japanese. His diaries chronicle life in the prison camp and include details about camp conditions such as work, recreation, daily routine, food, and contact with the outside world. He describes attacks of disease, particularly malaria, and the deaths of many internees. He also discusses the relationship among the American civilian and military prisoners, as well as between the American, British, Australian, and Dutch prisoners-of-war. Because the nature of internment forced his recordkeeping to be haphazard, Duffy later assembled photocopies of his original diary, indicating the chronological order of the pages. The correspondence and financial records included in the collection detail the stateside experience of his mother as she learns of his dissappearance, the presumption of his death, and the gradual news of his capture and internment as a prisoner-of-war. These items include an audio recording from the War Prisoners Recording Station, containing a recitation of Duffy's letter to his mother, as it was broadcast by the Japanese; information concerning his pay; and the disbursement and reclamation of his death benefits by the U.S. government.
Dates
- Creation: 1942-ca. 1945
Language of Materials
English Latin
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Extent
2 volume(s)
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts Repository
G. W. Blunt White Library
Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
112 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic CT 06355 United States
860.572.5367
collections@mysticseaport.org
