Janus: The Papers of (Harold) Montgomery Belgion

Churchill/BLGN contains:
1	Family Records and World War I
2	In Between the Wars
3	World War II
4	Literary Activities
5	Articles and Essays by Belgion
6	War Crimes Trials
7	Correspondence
8	Political Movements and Journalism
9	Collection of English, French, German, American and Other Periodicals
10	Belgion's Miscellaneous Activities
11	Uncompleted Literary Works Left by Belgion
See later -->

More information

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The Papers of (Harold) Montgomery Belgion

Title	World War II
Reference	BLGN 3
Covering Dates	1922–1948
Extent and Medium	22 files

Content and context

Includes correspondence from HMB's time as a prisoner of war.

Index Terms

Prisoners of War

Churchill/BLGN 3 contains:

Papers on training in movement control and on the crisis in France in 1940. Includes notes for HMB while under training in Movement Control, Derby 1939; Army Movement Forms; notes made during crisis of May-June 1940 in France; letter by HMB to Mrs. Harcourt describing his experiences in France 1940 and Greece 1941, dated 13 Sep 1948.
1 file.

1939–13 Sep 1948

HMB's service in Royal Engineers as a Captain and Rail Transport Officer. Includes copies of War Office Publications: "Instructions for Movement Control", 1938; "Field Service Pocket Book", Pamphlets 2-12; "Manual of Movement (War)", 1933 with Amendment No. 1; "Military Engineering, Vol. VIII, Railways", 1939; "Manual of Map Reading etc.", 1929; "Instructions for Movement Control", 1939; Army Book 155 (Message Forms), interleaved with notes; two Field Message Books (one unused). Also includes HMB's Royal Engineers medal ribbons and epaulettes.
7 files.

1929–1939

Book of handwritten records kept by HMB as Rail Transport Officer in France.
1 volume.

20 May 1940–05 Aug 1940

Glossary. Detailed glossary of equivalent French and English technical terms relating to military movement and rail transport.
1 file.

Greece. Includes handwritten notes [signature illegible] about crisis at Larissa; report on "Situation in Forward Area 14-17 April 1941"; letter of 28 July to Colonel Holland describing the prisoners' journey from Greece to Germany (written at Stalag IVD).
1 file.

Mar 1941–28 Jul 1941

Letters received by HMB while a prisoner-of-war. Mostly from family and friends, including Jonathan Cape, John Hayward, Mario Praz, Bonamy Dobrée and Ivor Bulmer-Thomas. Also includes announcement in "The Times" of HMB's capture; certificate by HMB guaranteeing not to escape or to try arrange to do so; camp's Christmas Carol Service, 1942.
4 files.

1941–1944

Letters received by HMB while a prisoner-of-war. Mostly from family and friends, including Jonathan Cape; includes letters from HMB to his family. Also includes complaint by HMB to Colonel R.T. Holland dated 8 Jul 1943 about censorship restrictions, particularly with regard to books sent to him at Oflag IX A/H (Unterlager). [Only one letter in this section has a deletion by a censor.]; letter dated 14 Apr 1945 from Colonel Francis Ruff, a fellow prisoner-of-war of HMB's, describing the last days of the prisoners before 'liberation' by the U.S. Army; notes for HMB's lectures on English Literature; HMB's Diploma in English Language and Literature, conferred while he was a prisoner-of-war, dated 18 Jul 1944.
3 files.

1942–1945

Notebooks in which HMB copied out his letters to family and friends while a prisoner-of-war. Also includes lists of clothing and food parcels received, etc.
4 items; Fragile..

Oct 1941-Jul 1944

Papers relating to HMB's repatriation on medical grounds and subsequent demobilization. Also includes issues of the journal of the Returned Prisoners of War Association, some correspondence with friends, a memorandum on possible political aspects in the appointment of welfare officers in prisoner-of-war camps and Red Cross and St John War Organization results of camp examinations.
1 file.

Oct 1942-May 1947

Second World War artefacts. Includes HMB's regimental crest, buttons and rank insignia, [?] prisoner-of-war number, his mess tin and pouch, also his New York Police Department pass.
1 file.

c. 1922–1945