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Walter F. Wescott Diary

 Collection
Identifier: SC 00225

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

Contains the diary of Walter F. Wescott while stationed on board the USS Comstock (LSD-19) during the Korean War. In the diary, Wescott give a day-by-day account of a deployment during the Korean war (198 days total). Wescott gave detailed accounts of significant events during the Korean War to include, but not limited to: LSD-19's entrance into mine squadron 3, USS Chief shelling on the USS Grapple, Typhoon Karen (1952), sinking of the USS Sarsi, enemy fire at LSD-19 and other naval vessels, Typhoon Mary (1952), and the mock invasion of Kojo by US forces. Additionally, Wescott writes about general shipboard life, ports of call, getting a tattoo, and gambling onboard the ship. After Wescott returns from deployment, he writes for 5 day about his return home to see his wife, Bobbie. There is one entry for 1954. Towards the end of the diary, there are financial accounts kept by Wescott for purchases, debts he owes, and outcome for playing poker and dice per pay day. At the end of the Diary, their is a hand written morse code table with random morse code symbols written below. In the back of the diary, there are loose slips of paper containing a message in either Vietnamese, translated as, 'Marines Infantry Officer and United-States donated glasses and wish all the luck' There are also slips of paper containing funds coming in and going out, as well as radio equipment guidelines and setup frequencies for in-port operation. For more description provided by the seller, click on the Finding Aid link below.

Dates

  • Creation: 1952-1954

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Biographical Information:

Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: Walter F. Wescott

Extent

0.01 Linear Foot

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection is not yet fully arranged and described. Researchers may wish to consult with a staff member for further information in advance of using the collection.

Acquisition Information:

Acc. 2012.023 was received by the SCRC via USPS on 1/4/2012.

Related Materials:

Armed Conflicts & the Military in the Special Collections Research Center guide at .

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in January 2012. Further proccessed by Jonathan Katora, University Archives Assistant, in February 2012.

Title
Guide to the Walter F. Wescott Diary
Author
Finding Aid Authors: Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist.
Date
2012-01-30
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
The collection description/finding aid is written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository

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