Letters of Tudor Richards
1941–42
date TR's notes* scan transcription
1941.11.02 Squantum HHR&JCR First from N.A.S. Squantum, re duties as S.M.D. (Student Mate of the Deck), movies and flying (spins). Apparently the first letter home after getting in uniform (Seaman Second Class and then Aviation Cadet in Navy's V-5 program. A little about flying. pdf html
1941.12.13 Atlanta HHR&JCR First letter home after Pearl Harbor attack. Drove to N.A.S. Atlanta with Phil Field, who later, as a marine, was killed at Guadalcanal. At Atlanta we did no flying since we were supposed to be en route to Jacksonville. Things were tense after Pearl Harbor. Morse Code. pdf html
1941.12.21 Atlanta HHR&JCR Anticipating Christmas parties; routine at Atlanta—strict discipline; view of countryside. pdf html
1941.12.21 Atlanta HR&LER Description of ground school. pdf html
1941.12.28 Atlanta HHR&JCR Christmas parties in Atlanta; ascent of Stone Mtn—birds; strange attack. pdf html
1941.12.28 Atlanta HR&LER More interesting than most at this mostly dull stage, because of Christmas time, descriptions of the country, incl. Stone Mtn. Perhaps worth sending a copy to Danny Smith. pdf html
1941.12.29 Atlanta JR More re ground school & Stone Mtn. Not a bad letter. pdf html
1942.01.10 Jacksonville HHR&JCR First from N.A.S. Jacksonville, judged far superior to N.A.S. Atlanta. First as Aviation Cadet, but no duties yet. pdf html
1942.01.19 Jacksonville LER Birds. pdf html
1942.01.20 HHR&JCR Re the "good life" without much ground school; trip to Jacksonville and then St. Augustine and Marineland; birds. pdf html
1942.01.28 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Ground school; flying prospects that later turned out to be inaccurate. pdf html
1942.02.08 The Innlet, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL HHR&JCR End of indoctrination. Amusing long sentence about slight injury from bowling ball; pleasant week-end at Ponte Vedra; birds. pdf html
1942.02.17 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Re golf and ground school. Bird list. pdf html
1942.02.17 Jacksonville LER Discussing The Sound of Wings [the life of Amelia Earhart]. pdf html
1942.02.23 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Amusing account of a dance; watching snipe and gray fox; ground school; "a lot of swell fellows". Not much of a letter it seems to me now (6/10/01). pdf html
1942.03.03 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Golf; ground school. pdf html
1942.03.07 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Flying schedule—at outlying Lee Field; golf. pdf html
1942.03.18 Jacksonville HHR&JCR First actual flying since Squantum—description of the area around from the air. pdf html
1942.03.25 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Flying—short circles and small field procedures described in diagrams; Watson wedding, etc. pdf html
1942.04.02 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Description of Phil Field, my room-mate; flying and ground school difficulties. pdf html
1942.04.11 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Discouraged about both flying and ground school. pdf html
1942.04.18 Jacksonville HHR To Pa, suggesting that he and Ma come down to Jax pdf html
1942.04.24 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Further discouragement, but more about birds. pdf html
1942.05.08 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Finally squeaked by flying "yellow perils" and started formation flying in Ryans. pdf html
1942.05.19 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Continued failures in navigation course. Last Ryan flying. Of some interest in spots, with more on formation flying in Ryans and interesting in not including carrier planes among my four choices in order. pdf html
1942.06.01 Jacksonville LER Re reading books; more leisure, etc. A well above average letter. pdf html
1942.06.01 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Reflections re submarine warfare after a good account of flying SNJs and OS2Us. More re Fla. countryside from the air, reading, etc. A good letter for a change.. pdf html
1942.06.02 JR2 To brother Jack, then 10. pdf html
1942.06.11 HHR&JCR Link trainers pdf html
1942.06.19 HHR&JCR Long and interesting. Weather; mentions other navy men: Bob Marshall (later Chief Forester?), Joe Kennedy & Dave Gardner, both of H'38 and both killed later. pdf html
1942.06.27 HHR&JCR Instrument flying, with diagram. Bicycle trip—many birds. A very long letter for me but varied and interesting. pdf html
1942.07.07 HHR&JCR Flying small seaplanes (same planes as at Squantum except for having pontoons instead of wheels)—N3Ns. Dinner invitations. Letters now are more cheerful and interesting than the earlier ones describing my struggles. pdf html
1942.07.16 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Solo in OS2U Kingfisher seaplane—2 news photos enclosed [not included here] pdf html
1942.07.23 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Navigation flights out to sea. pdf html
1942.08.02 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Night flying—"exciting". pdf html
1942.08.10 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Gunnery, catapulting; supervised required exercise; dance; beach; books read. pdf html
1942.08.18 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Flying. pdf html
1942.08.24 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Commissioned an ensign, designated a naval aviator; dance; bird trip. Some amusing sections. pdf html
1942.09.02 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Much about uniforms. pdf html
1942.09.11 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Operational training—separate training in navigation & gunnery; good bird trip with 3 others by taxi. pdf html
1942.09.22 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Canoe trip on the St. Johns River; trip by car to Sea Is., Ga. pdf html
1942.09.30 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Bird migrants (warblers). pdf html
1942.10.09 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Astronomy; joins Officers' Club. pdf html
1942.10.23 Jacksonville HHR&JCR Night flying. Speculation about leave and future orders. pdf html
1942.10.24 Jacksonville to "Gardiner folks"; Fla. weather & birds. pdf html
1942.11.28 Miami HHR&JCR First letter after leave at home, from Miami N.A.S. Describes change of duty, to be trained as an instructor in carrier-type planes; describes trip down to Miami via Sarasota & Barnum Museum; Everglades. pdf html
1942.11.28 Miami LER Describes 2 weeks leave as well as duty, Miami, etc.—a more interesting letter than most. pdf html
1942.12.06 Miami HHR&JCR Planes flown—SBC, etc. Boca Raton visit. pdf html
1942.12.13 Miami HHR&JCR Flight over the countryside in SNJs; many birds listed. pdf html
1942.12.20 Miami HHR&JCR Miami—dive bombing in BTs, predecessors of SBDs. Some instructing. pdf html

Abbreviations

Squantum U.S. Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Squantum, Massachusetts
Atlanta U.S. Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Atlanta, Georgia
Jacksonville U.S. Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida
Miami U.S. Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida

Key to letters’ recipients

initials
name
dates
relationship to TR
HHR Henry Howe Richards 1876–1968 father
JCR Julia (Coolidge) Richards 1889–1961 mother
HR Henry Richards 1848-1949 grandfather
LER Laura Elizabeth (Howe) Richards 1850–1943 grandmother
JR John Richards 1884–? uncle
JR2 John Richards II 1932–2013 brother

TR’s notes

These notes are a combination of