WARREN I. COLEHOUR:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Colehour, Warren I., 1921-2012, creator. | |
| Title: | Warren I. Colehour World War II papers. | |
| Dates: | 1941-2013 (bulk 1942-1945). | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Biographical information, service documents, photographs, correspondence, a journal and calendar, and other papers of a Minneapolis man who served in the United States Navy during the second world war aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Bailey. Includes a translation of an unidentified Japanese soldier's diary, materials documenting Warren's involvement in veterans organizations, and photographs and a service biography of Colehour's brother Richard, who served aboard the U.S.S. Zeilin. | |
| Quantity: | 0.4 cubic feet (1 box). | |
| Location: | P2201: See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Warren Irving Colehour was born in Minneapolis January 21, 1921 to Robert and Alice Colehour. He graduated from West High School in 1939. Warren attended the Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis while working for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. He enlisted in the United States Navy on August 24, 1942.
Colehour served as a Gyro Compass Electrician, First Class on the destroyer U.S.S. Bailey from June of 1943 to December 1945 and was involved in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands in the North Pacific on March 26, 1943. He participated in nine campaigns and was awarded seven medals, including the Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and the Navy Unit Commendation Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged in December 1945.
Colehour married Donna Lee Sewell in Minneapolis on January 30, 1942. He continued to work at Northwestern Bell after the war, and was an active member of several veterans organizations. Colehour died on January 28, 2012 in Waconia, Minnesota, at the age of 91, and was buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. He was preceded in death by his wife Donna in 2010.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Warren I. Colehour World War II Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 17,215
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 008939500
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P2201 | 1 | Biographical information, 2002-2012. | |||||||||
| Includes naval service chronology and photographs. | |||||||||||
| Service documents: | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous papers, 1942-1950. | |||||||||||
| Includes identification cards, enlistment documents, orders, service records, memos to all hands. | |||||||||||
| Photocopies of service records, 1942-1950. | |||||||||||
| WWII service separation and awards, 1945-1991. | |||||||||||
| Includes decorations certification card and a photocopy of Colehour's honorable discharge certificate. | |||||||||||
| U.S.S. Bailey: | |||||||||||
| The U.S.S. Bailey was one of several military ships engaged in actions with Japanese destroyers on the morning of March 26, 1943. Despite being outnumbered by Japanese destroyers, and damages to and subsequent loss of power by the Bailey, the Japanese retreated and the American navy declared victory. | |||||||||||
| Historical information, 1942-1946. | |||||||||||
| Images, undated, 1942-1945. | |||||||||||
| Includes artistic renderings and photographs of the Bailey and crew. | |||||||||||
| Newsletters: Bailey Daily and Shellback, August 1944-July 1945. | |||||||||||
| Newsletters distributed on the Bailey. | |||||||||||
| Battle of Komandorski Islands, undated, 1943-1945. | |||||||||||
| Includes radio communication report, military actions taken, and veterans' reminiscences of the Bailey's involvement. | |||||||||||
| Crew details, circa 1943-1945. | |||||||||||
| Photographs and ephemera, 1942-1945, 1985. | |||||||||||
| Includes images of family and friends pre-deployment, during naval academy training class, on-board antics by Bailey crew members while in service, crew members working on the ship, and photographs taken while on leave. Also includes a Pearl Harbor ticket and other ephemera. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence: V-mail and postcards, 1943-1947. | |||||||||||
| Journal and calendar, October 1943-November 1945. | |||||||||||
| Translation of an unidentified Japanese soldier's diary, November 1941-November 1942. | |||||||||||
| The location of the original diary is unknown. | |||||||||||
| Richard Colehour: U.S.S. Zeilin service biography and photographs, 1942-1951. | |||||||||||
| Veterans organizations involvement: | |||||||||||
| Tin Can Sailors, 1993-2012. | |||||||||||
| Navy Memorial, 1994-2004. | |||||||||||
| U.S.S. Coghlan 606 Association, 1996-2013. | |||||||||||
| Includes membership cards and issuances of the U.S.S. Coghlan service member newsletter, Little Joe. | |||||||||||
| U.S.S. Bailey DD-492 reunions, 1990-2000. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Komandorski Islands, Battle of the, 1943.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Persons:
- Colehour, Richard C., 1923-1997.
- Organizations:
- Bailey (Destroyer : DD-492)
- Coghlan (Destroyer : DD-606)
- United States. Navy.
- Zeilin (Ship)
- Document Types:
- Diaries.
- Photographs.
Collapse
All