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11 Aug 01 - 05:22 PM (#525815) Subject: (non music) museum surprise From: Charcloth My Uncle served in the Navy duting WWII. During the Normandy invasion his ship was sunk. He was able to grab the ships Navigation charts & jump over board with them. He Kept these charts till he died. He wanted to donate them the Soldiers & Sailors museum in his home town BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT THEM!! We are now looking for proper place to give them to. But still we are shocked that these documents would be turned away. Is this normal? |
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11 Aug 01 - 05:43 PM (#525837) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: JenEllen Sorry for my ignorance, but where are you located? In the UK, you might try here:
Stephen Courtney
Museums are a bit choosy about accepting donations if they have no way of storing and preserving the articles. It sounds like your uncle wanted them to be appreciated for the treasures that they are, I'd be hesitant to just give them to someone who was going to stick them in an inaccessible archive somewhere. Best of luck, and let us know how you fare with it.
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11 Aug 01 - 09:01 PM (#525950) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Charcloth We are located in Butler Co. Ohio not far from Cincinnati. You are right he wanted them to be displayed & not hidden away. Thanks for the info on the royal naval museum I will pass it on to my cousin we would prefer it to be placed in the USA but better to be in England than to be lost. |
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11 Aug 01 - 09:19 PM (#525954) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: JenEllen Sure thing Charcloth, I agree. For US, a good starting point is:
Joseph M Judge
They have mostly archived information, allowing check-outs and copies made, etc..But they might have more information about a collection that would be suitable for your uncle's treasures. Best of luck, |
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11 Aug 01 - 09:43 PM (#525961) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: paddymac Charcloth - there is a growing program in WW II history within the History Department at Florida State University in Tallahassee. They've been gathering materials for the last several years, and taking many oral histories. I do not know what their present projections are, nor can I advise you about present facilities. If you would like me to look further, I'd be happy to do that. Was your Uncle's ship a military vessel or a civilian charter? What exactly do you mean by "charts"? Are they just nautical maps, or do they contain course plots and similar notations that can describe that vessel's operations? Is there a log book, etc.? These are the kinds of questions a serious collection would want answers to, perhaps before accepting the materials, but certainly in deciding what to do with it if they accepted it. There is no question that the materials had great significance for your uncle as mementos of a traumatic event in his life. But that, in and of itself, doesn't mean that they necessarily have any historical value in the broader sense. |
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11 Aug 01 - 09:48 PM (#525964) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: paddymac I should also have noted that they are now 50+ years old, and their value simply as an antiquity will increase over time. Whatever you do, I wouldn't just trash them. Maybe somebody in the family will have an interest in keeping them as an item of "family history". They'll have more value in another 50 years, both "historical" and , perhaps, pecuniary. |
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12 Aug 01 - 05:21 AM (#526039) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Sourdough Charcloth: I'm a historian working with a variety of World War II museums. Two of them, I think would have particular interest in your charts. The first is the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. The second is aboard the only ship that was at Normandy that has survived to the present. It is the Jeremiah O'Brien, whose home port is San Francisco. You may remember, it sailed to Normandy in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Both groups would be delighted to be offered your charts. Also, if the ship your uncle sailed on was built in the Kaiser yards in Richmond, CA, there is another museum being prepared aboard the Victory ship, Red Oak. The ship is currently being rennovated at Richmond, CA. If any of this is of interestest to you, send me a Personal Message and I will give you as much detail as you would like. Sourdough |
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12 Aug 01 - 08:29 AM (#526071) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Charcloth thanks for the leads. For those of you interested my cousin has posted an old newspaper article the happening on his web page @ tomthacker.tripod.com you then have to clock on James Thacker. The ship he was on was the destroyer USS Glennon. I will pass these leads on to my cousin. We really want these charts to be treated nobly |
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12 Aug 01 - 08:50 AM (#526073) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Gareth Sourdough. I beleive the Light Cruiser HMS Belfast carries Normandy as a battle honour. She is presently moored in the Pool of London, between Tower Bridge and London Bridge. Preserved by the Imperial War museam, she is open to the Public. I agree with Charcloth - These papers must be preserved. Gareth |
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12 Aug 01 - 10:49 AM (#526105) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Pinetop Slim Naval War College Museum in Newport, R.I., might also be interested. |
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12 Aug 01 - 01:03 PM (#526154) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Gareth I've been doing a little Webdigging on USN Destroyers. USS Glennon (DD-620) sunk by a mine and gunfire from German shore batteries off Quineville, Normandy, France, 10 June 1944.(Gleaves/Benson class) At the moment this is all I can find, although I expect further short histories might come to pass. Try these websites Tin Can Sailors - History site for DD Vets Sorry if this duplicates info you already have, but I've been meaning to rebuild my look up list on the USN for some months now. Gareth |
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13 Aug 01 - 07:41 AM (#526592) Subject: RE: (non music) museum surprise From: Charcloth thanks Gareth |