The bulk of this collection consists of letters to and from Norman E. Lau, who served as an aviation metalsmith for the U.S. Navy during World War II, and his family. The correspondence was written before and after the war, and concern Lau's search for a job in Chicago during the Depression, his training, his time spent overseas during the war stationed in the Philippines, and his life after the war in California. Many of the letters were written to or by his wife, "Kitty." Correspondence between other members of the Lau family are also included, along with items such as pamphlets, notebooks, and other ephemera. A more detailed description of the collection by the seller is filed in front of Box 1.