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Leroy Charles Heinse Collection, 1920-2008, Date acquired: 10/08/2008, bulk 1941-1945

 

Summary

Creator:
Heinse, Leroy Charles
Extent:
1.00 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Leroy Charles Heinse collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/02-00-0459

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains papers pertaining to Leroy Charles Heinse's experiences at Pass Christian training school in Mississippi, and as a United States Merchant Marine during World War II, and as an injured veteran after the Mustard Gas bombings of the SS John Bascom. The papers include photographs, letters, short stories, drawings, certificates, mustard gas information, medical documents, information about Merchant Marine Veterans, newspapers, military documents, photographs of medals, booklets, foreign money, Merchant Marine songs, magazines, and official logbooks from the SS John Bascom.

Biographical / historical:

Leroy Charles Heinse, born on January 2, 1920, joined the Merchant Marines shortly after graduating high school. He attended the Pass Christian Training School in Mississippi for Merchant Marines before being sent to sea. He was a survivor of a German bomb attack on his vessel which was carrying mustard gas at Bari, Italy, on December 2, 1943, where he was docked onboard the SS John Bascom. He sustained multiple injuries from the bombing and was instantly hospitalized where he met his future wife, Hazel Mary Smith. His injuries were so severe he was honorably discharged from the United States Merchant Marines. Later in life, he developed increasing nerve damage, believed to be from the mustard gas he was exposed to and had his leg amputated. Leroy Charles Heinse died on February 3, 2008. Throughout his life, he actively sought out information on his experiences and those of other survivors of the Bari raid.

Acquisition information:

Hazel M. Smith

Donation

Custodial history:

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Arrangement:

Creator

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Leroy Charles Heinse collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/02-00-0459

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA