Meriden's News From Home - Letters During WWII

Program Type:

Americans and the Holocaust Traveling Exhibition, Education, History & Genealogy

Age Group:

Adults
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Event Details

Meriden's News From Home will be displayed for patrons to peruse at their leisure.

Meriden's News from Home was a newsletter detailing an array of Meriden events, news, and highlights. It included photos and line drawings as well. The monthly newsletter, a project sponsored by the local United Service Organization (U.S.O.), was sent to service members during WWII, beginning with Issue 1 in November 1943. At this time, there were more than 4,500 names on the circulation list. It continued to be sent to Meriden service members up through the Vietnam War. Toward the end of the project, it was published on a bi-monthly schedule.

Meriden Public Library’s History Room collection includes a book, News from Home: Meriden U.S.O. 1943-1963, authored by Arthur L. Barber and featuring News from Home issues from 1943-1963. The History Room collection also contains correspondence of service members back home, including thousands of “Change of Address” forms when service members were ordered to move around during service. The newsletter became so impactful and appreciated that many recipients wished to continue to receive the monthly issues with updates from back home, no matter where in the world they were stationed.