Letters Home

The letters of Edward L. Martin written home to
his parents and siblings during his tour
of duty in World War II
(October 8, 1941 - November 3, 1945)

This is the section in which all of the letters that Edward Martin had written home to his family during World War II will be presented.
His mother had saved all of the letters and must have known that they would be of interest to future generations. It is only because she saved them that I am able to show them here. Besides being a way for my father to keep his family up to date on his activities at the time, these letters allow us a glimpse into the day-to-day life of an individual participant in one of the greatest conflicts of the twentieth century.
History books tend to cover only events and the major points of the war in general, and rarely deal with the personal stories of the people whose role was to actually make things happen. The war seems to be something that is completely disconnected from our lives, and yet most of us have or had some relative that took part in the conflict. My father, Edward L. Martin, was one of these men. Over the years, we have heard his anecdotes, but never the complete story of his experiences.
His letters are an excellent source of information on what his life was like at that time, as well as containing historical information that is rare, hard to find, or non-existant. As time goes on, this information will be even harder to come by.
I have decided to compile my fathers letters, photos, and stories of the of the war so that family members and descendants will be able to access this information. It would be nice for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren to know something of his history and feel like they actually have a direct connection with one of our country's most historical events.
I have to give credit (and thanks) to my wife Shirley, who helped me with the most labor intensive part of this project back in the mid 1990's. We took all of my father's original letters and transcirbed them on an Apple II GS computer, which was no small feat, considering the letters are comprised of more than 78,000 words. We were then able to save the digital form of the letters on a floppy disk and print out copies of the originals. We then placed the originals in plastic slipcovers for protection. By having copies, the original letters no longer need to be handled, aiding in their longevity.

Names that appear regularily in the letters and might be helpful for reference are:
George Huff - a fellow CTC recruit that my father travelled with enroute to England.
                      Although they went to different training groups with the CTC, they remained
                      life long friends. While in England, George married. It was at his wedding
                      that Edward met the bride's cousin, Evelyn Humphrey. She would later
                      become Edward's wife (and my mother).
George (Martin) - referred to in letters as 'George' or 'Bug'. Edward's brother.
Art or Arthur (Martin) - Another of Edward's brothers.
Rosemary Martin - referred to as 'Pete' in some letters. One of Edward's sisters.
Geraldine Martin - referred to as 'Jerry' or 'Geri' in some letters. Edward's other sister.
'Bob' and 'Thatch' - Edward's nicknames (he signed letters this way)

Continue on to the Letters Home Index
Index of photos taken by Edward Martin while in the war.
View images of some of the original Letters Home.
Go back to the CTC Page
I have compiled a book of "Letters Home", and if you're interested in obtaining a copy, please write to me and find out the details. It is presently unpublished, but I do print copies on 24# acid free paper on a laser printer. They are bound with a plastic comb binding and have a laminated cover with a photo of Edward and the Enola Gay when he was stationed on Tinian Island. All of the letters viewed on this site are included, as well as about 100 of the photographs. Some other details that are not found on this site are also included in the book.