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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | About 400 items (1.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Cyrus Aydlett (1909- ) was a native of North Carolina, who enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard as an ensign in 1942. He was a supply and coding officer for the Coast Guard and was sent to England in February 1944 on the U.S.S. Bayfield. He was involved in action at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Normandy, and southern France. Discharged as a lieutenant in January 1946, he returned to his wife Augusta in Elizabeth City, N.C., and established the Elizabeth City Finance Company. The collection includes correspondence, journals, ship documents, military and travel memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and photographs chiefly relating to the World War II military career of Cyrus Aydlett; a few photographs from after World War II; photographs, 1918-1932, of Nags Head, N.C.; and yearbooks, 1923 and 1926, from the seventh grade of the Elizabeth City Grammar School, Elizabeth City, N.C. Correspondence is mainly between Aydlett and his wife Augusta and concerns daily life, family news, and Augusta's pregnancy and their new child, as well as Aydlett's travels in Europe and daily military life. Aydlett's journals, 1944-1945, provide information about life aboard his ship, the U.S.S. Bayfield, sailing conditions, Aydlett's duties as supply officer, and Aydlett's feelings and fears about going into battle. They describe visits to European cities and the devastation found in the bombed areas. They include considerable detail on the days leading to and following D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Also included are photographs of European cities and people and various members of the Bayfield crew. There are several notable images of troops mobilizing at Iwo Jima. |
| Creator | Aydlett, Cyrus, 1909- . |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
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Biographical Information
Cyrus Aydlett (1909- ) was a native of North Carolina, who enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard as an ensign in 1942. He was a supply and coding officer for the Coast Guard and was sent to England in February 1944 on the U.S.S. Bayfield. He was involved in action at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Normandy, and southern France. Discharged as a lieutenant in January 1946, he returned to his wife Augusta in Elizabeth City, N.C., and established the Elizabeth City Finance Company.
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Scope and Content
Correspondence, journals, ship documents, military and travel memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to the World War II military career of Cyrus Aydlett; a few photographs from after World War II; photographs, 1918-1932 of Nags Head, N.C.; and yearbooks, 1923 and 1926, from the seventh grade of the Elizabeth City Grammar School, Elizabeth City, N.C. Correspondence is mainly between Aydlett and his wife Augusta and concerns daily life, family news, and Augusta's pregnancy and their new child, as well as Aydlett's travels in Europe and daily military life. Aydlett's journals, 1944-1945, provide information about daily life on his ship, the U.S.S. Bayfield, sailing conditions, his duties as supply officer, preparations for D-Day, and Aydlett's feelings and fears about going into battle.
Documents from the U.S.S. Bayfield include daily plan sheets, the ship's newsletter, duty lists, and other official documents. Also included are photographs of European cities and people and various members of the Bayfield crew. There are several notable images of troops mobilizing at Iwo Jima.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1944-1945, 1991.
Arrangement: chronological.
Chiefly letters, postcards, v-mail, and telegrams between Cyrus Aydlett and his wife Augusta Aydlett during World War II. Letters generally concern daily life, family news, and the progression of Augusta's pregnancy and their new child. Aydlett also described his travels and the sights he saw in Europe, daily military life, possible promotions, and plans to be carried out in case he was killed or taken prisoner. There is little information about Aydlett's locations or the role he was playing in the war because these letters were written in accordance with censors' regulations. There are also a few letters written after the war to Aydlett from wartime friends updating him on their lives and inviting him to ship reunions.
| Folder 1-3 |
1944 #04907, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1944-1945, 1991. " Folder 1-3Folder 1Folder 2Folder 3 |
| Folder 4-6 |
1945 #04907, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1944-1945, 1991. " Folder 4-6Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6 |
| Folder 7 |
1991 #04907, Series: "1. Correspondence, 1944-1945, 1991. " Folder 7 |
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2. Journals, 1944-1945.
Arrangement: chronological.
Cyrus Aydlett's journals provide more detailed information about World War II and his role in it. The journals, kept from February 1944 through July 1945, describe daily life on the U.S.S. Bayfield, sailing conditions, recreational activities, Aydlett's duties as supply officer, and his feelings and fears about the war. They describe visits to European cities and the devastation found in the bombed areas. They also discuss training regimens and military drills, the use of military propaganda, speculations about military intelligence in various attacks, medical facilities for the wounded, and treatment of military prisoners. They detail ship deployments and observations during battles and raids and go into considerable detail on the days leading to and following D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Also included are typed transcriptions of several of the journal entries, particularly those written during battle.
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Series 3. U.S.S. Bayfield Documents and Other Military Papers, 1941-1945.
Arrangement: chronological.
Papers from the U.S.S. Bayfield include daily plan sheets (including one for D-Day); guidelines for supply officers; the ship's newsletter, "The Bayview," which describes daily activities, events, and itinerary of the ship; officers' rosters; duties lists; and letters from the commanding officer describing expectations for ship personnel on various occasions. Items from the ship's commissioning ceremony are included.
Also in this series are a maps relating to actions in which the Bayfield participated. These include a map of shore obstacles at Utah Beach, 1944 (as of 12 May); maps of the Gulf of Frejus and Rade D'Agay with panoramic beach sketches, water level silhouettes, and oblique perspectives of beaches 264a and 275a based on defense information as of 20 July 1944; and a map of Iwo Jima, 1944.
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Series 4. Clippings and Newspapers, 1943-1945, 1984, 1994.
Arrangement: chronological.
Clippings and newspapers containing articles about Cyrus Aydlett, his wife, his ship, the U.S. Coast Guard, actions in which Aydlett was involved, or war news in the area where he was located. The clippings are focused on Aydlett, while the newspapers include papers Aydlett collected in Europe, most of which do not appear to contain articles directly related to Aydlett or to his ship. Some of these contain articles that are marked as being of particular interest. The undated newspaper is a special edition of The Independent (Elizabeth City, N.C.), entitled "The Albemarle at War," which contains many photographs and articles about wartime business and activities in the Elizabeth City, N.C., area.
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Series 5. Pictures, 1918-1945, 1980.
Arrangement: by subject.
Pictures of Cyrus Aydlett and his friends and associates during World War II, as well as other people and places during the war.
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Addition of January 1999 (Acc. 98273).
Two issues of The Neophyte, a yearbook published by the seventh grade of Elizabeth City Grammar School, Elizabeth City, N.C. The yearbooks contain photographs of students and teachers and other information relevant to student life.
| Folder 24 |
Yearbook, 1923 #04907, Series: "Addition of January 1999 (Acc. 98273)." Folder 24 |
| Folder 25 |
Yearbook, 1926 #04907, Series: "Addition of January 1999 (Acc. 98273)." Folder 25 |