Description

Introductory material to a file of Gunner Hyman Henry Kassman’s correspondence from 1941-1943, which was compiled by his daughter in 2010. The full file spans 507 pages; what is covered in this database are those parts of it (some 179 pages) which cover Kassman’s time in North Africa. The full file (and the original materials), spanning from 1940-1945, can be found in the holdings of the Imperial War Museum, listing here. File’s contents are mostly typed, occasionally reproduced (often in addition to the typed version), and include photographs, written materials, and some explanatory material. This introductory material covers the first six pages of this file.

Pages 1-2: Germany invades France (May 14, 1940), “Message of the Lord Mayor of Plymouth (Viscount Astor)” [French, “Message du Lord Maire de Plymouth (Viscount Astor)”] (reproduction).

Pages 3-5: General timeline of WWII from February 9, 1941-May 13, 1943, as well as two map images: “The Mediterranean War Theatre (Map taken from ‘Top-Hats in Tobruk’)”, and a detail from said map (the Western Desert).

Page 6: A partial timeline personalized to Kassman (who was in the same Battery as his brother Alec [Alexander Alfred Kassman]), titled “Henry’s Journey to Tobruk (see Appendix I)“. Covers from December 29, 1940 to January 6, 1941. Also, a black and white photograph from December 1940, captioned “In the lorry; Wavell’s campaign”.

Six pages typed, including timelines, maps, and a black and white photograph. Covering dates: May 14, 1940-May 13, 1943.

1.-Gunner-HH-Kassman-1-6.1941-55.pdf