Tag: leaflets

WW2 leaflets in Cambridge University Library’s tower

On By europeancollectionsIn French, Historical collections, Special collections, The Department of Collections and Academic LiaisonLeave a comment

The French holdings of World War II material held in Cambridge University Library include the Chadwyck-Healey Liberation Collection (1944-1946), Allied airborne leaflets which are part of the Official Publications, and items in the National Socialist literature collection. Another very interesting collection made of Propaganda leaflets dropped over enemy and enemy controlled countries during the War of 1939 (1945.31.423-424) and Miscellaneous leaflets and other printed ephemera connected with the war of 1939-1945 (1945.31.425) was the subject of a series of blogposts by Katharine Dicks on Second World War propaganda in 2014 (1, 2, 3, 4). These items were part of the University Library’s print card catalogue (for material then considered as secondary): they only recently received collective entries in the online catalogue.

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World War 2 propaganda (3)

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In the run-up to local and European elections on May 22, many flyers and leaflets drop through our letterboxes, promoting the individual parties and candidates. Contrast these with a leaflet found in the University Library on 28 May 1941 produced by the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), and deemed important enough to keep for posterity. Times have changed – political leaflets “left” in the Library these days would probably go straight in the bin for recycling.

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World War 2 propaganda (2)

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The second in our short series of posts on World War 2 propaganda features an interesting leaflet. Most of the propaganda leaflets in the University Library’s collections are examples of leaflets which the RAF dropped over mainland Europe. But this one is a leaflet dropped by the German Luftwaffe over Britain, in this case landing in the Essex village of Birdbrook, south of Haverhill.

The leaflet was sent to the Librarian by Herbert Richmond, then a 77 year old Fellow of King’s College, with an accompanying letter in which he related how a large number of the leaflets (which he described as ridiculous) were found in a cardboard box near to a small balloon which had come down in a hedge. His niece presumably lived in the village and had got hold of a copy for him to pass to the University Library.

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World War 2 propaganda

On By europeancollectionsIn Historical collections1 Comment

Hidden away in a corner of the twelfth floor of the University Library Tower are several boxes containing ephemera dating back to the Second World War. The only access via the Library’s catalogues are short descriptions in the secondary card catalogue at the heading War of 1939-1945 which read Propaganda leaflets dropped over enemy and enemy controlled countries during the War of 1939 (1945.31.423-424)– and Miscellaneous leaflets and other printed ephemera connected with the war of 1939-1945 (1945.31.425). The majority of these items were donated to the Library while the war was still going on. Many of them are examples of information and propaganda leaflets with official translations attached, which the RAF dropped over many different countries of mainland Europe during the war but there are other isolated gems which we will feature here over the coming months.

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