Charles Sharum WWII P.O.W. Materials

Collection

Identifier: MC 1715

Staff Only
Select files to request

Scope and Content Note

The collection includes the diary that Sharum kept documenting his experiences as a P.O.W., correspondence, and other peripheral material relating to Sharum, including a bound, untitled collection of military service records and personalized historical research collected by William L. Beigel of WW2Research.com, which includes both American and German military records involving Sharum. The collection's images include a service photograph of Sharum and photographs of a ceremony honoring American P.O.W. and M.I.A combatants at the University of Arkansas on April 8, 2004.

Dates

1944-2006

Creator

Sharum, Charles, 1922-1992 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Access Information

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Use Information

No Use Restrictions Apply.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical Note

Charles R. Sharum was born on December 31, 1922, to Cornelius and Rosa Sharum of Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. He was a 1941 graduate of St. Anne's Catholic Academy of Fort Smith, before moving to Northwest Arkansas in 1942.

Sharum enlisted in the United States Air Corps on January 12, 1943, and served in the 327th Heavy Bomb Squadron during WWII. On May 24th, 1944, on a combat mission to Berlin, his plane was shot down, and he was captured and imprisoned by German forces. He spent the next year as a prisoner-of-war in various prison camps in Germany, including Stalag Luft IV. On May 1, 1945, he was liberated by Russian troops and returned to American custody. He returned to the United States in June of 1945 and received an honorable discharge as a technical sergeant.

Sharum returned to Springdale, Washington County, Arkansas and married Marcella L. Head on April 7, 1946. He died on September 26, 1992, in Springdale.

Extent

.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Additional Description

Arrangement of the Papers

Materials are arranged by topic.

Acquisition Information

The Charles Sharum WWII P.O.W. Materials was donated to the Special Collections Department, University of Arkansas Libraries, on October 8, 2007, by his widow, Marcella Head Sharum.