Guide to the Cyril James Lear Papers, circa 1914-1918, circa 1939-1946 SPEC.RARE.0237 Finding aid prepared by Sara Fuetter Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections

1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210

2018 April This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2018-04-14T10:08-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Cyril James Lear Papers SPEC.RARE.0237 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 0.5 Cubic feet Bulk, 1940-1946 circa 1914-1918, circa 1939-1946 The Cyril James Lear Papers contains correspondence from Cyril James "Jim" Lear, a major in the Royal Berkshire Regiment in the British Army serving in World War II, to his wife, Marie, while Lear was stationed in Northern Ireland. Also included are a photograph of an unknown man from World War I, a photograph of Lear's regiment, and commission papers. The collection dates circa 1914-1918 and circa 1939-1946, with the bulk of materials created during World War II. (1) 5" legal document box English Lear, Cyril James Biographical Note

Cyril James "Jim" Lear (1911–1987) was a major in the Royal Berkshire Regiment, 6th Battalion, in the British Army in World War II. Having enlisted as a rifleman with the Queen's Westminsters in April 1939, Lear obtained commission as a major in September 1940 and remained in the British Army until 1945. During the war, he was stationed in several cities in Northern Ireland.

Arrangement of Materials

Materials are arranged in chronological order. Some correspondence in this collection is undated but was created by Lear sometime during his involvement in World War II; this correspondence is found in two folders near the end of the container list, dated circa 1941-1945.

Scope and Contents

The Cyril James Lear Papers contains correspondence from Cyril Lear to his wife, Marie. These letters contain descriptions of the field exercises that Lear completed with his company, interactions with the Northern Irish locals, leisure time, concerns about the war, and Marie's pregnancy in the autumn of 1942, as well as anniversary letters. Also contained in the collection is what is likely a World War I portrait of an unknown man, who may be related to Lear, a 1942 Christmas card containing a photograph of Lear's regiment, Lear's commission letters, and a 1946 newspaper birth announcement of Lear's son. The collection dates circa 1914-1918 and circa 1939-1946, with the bulk of materials from World War II.

Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

Acquisitions Information

RARE.2018.0028: Purchase, 2018 February

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Cyril James Lear Papers, SPEC.RARE.0237, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

Processing Information

Processed by: Sara Fuetter, 2018 April; Finding aid written by: Sara Fuetter, 2018 April

Great Britain. Army. Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's). Battalion, 6th. Lear, Cyril James Correspondence Soldiers--Great Britain--Correspondence World War, 1939-1945--Military life--British Photograph of an unidentified man in military uniform 1 1 circa 1914-1918 Correspondence 1 2 circa 1939 April-1940 September Transfer papers 1 3 1940 August Transfer papers 1 3 1940 September Correspondence 1 5 1941 February Correspondence 1 6 1941 March Correspondence 1 7 1941 April Correspondence 1 8 1941 August Correspondence 1 9 1941 October Correspondence 1 10 1941 December Correspondence 1 11 circa 1942 Correspondence 1 12 1942 August Correspondence 1 13 1942 October Correspondence 1 14 1942 December Correspondence 1 15 1943 January Correspondence 1 16 1943 May Correspondence 1 17 1943 June Correspondence 1 18 1944 February Correspondence 1 19 1944 April Correspondence 1 20 circa 1941-1945 Correspondence 1 21 circa 1941-1945 Birth announcement 1 22 1946 June