Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Leona Robbins Fitchett Collection, 1944-1945. Accession 50068. Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Leona Robbins Fitchett, Henrico, Virginia, 27 July 2011.

Biographical Information

Leona Robbins was born in 1931. As a child, she lived in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended Coleman Place Elementary School. During World War II, a neighbor and family friend, Army Lieutenant Charles R. Field (b. 1912), suggested that Leona send toys to the children of Norfolk, England, where he would be stationed for part of his World War II service. After Lt. Field delivered the toys to Carbrooke Junior School in Thetford, a correspondence ensued between Robbins, the school's Headmistress Mary Norton, and the children in her class.

Scope and Content

Collection, 1944-1945, kept by Leona Robbins (later Fitchett) of Norfolk, Virginia, consisting chiefly of letters, drawings, and photographs sent to her by Headmistress Mary Norton and various penpals at Carbrooke Junior School in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Miss Norton's letters express gratitude for Leona's interest in her children, and often speak enthusiastically about interactions between the school and the American soldiers stationed nearby. The children's letters describe day-to-day life in the village of Carbrooke, and are full of questions about Leona's life; the children were anxious to compare families, schools, holiday schedules, and recreational activities. They also make reference occasionally to war-related incidents and concerns, including the fact that several of them were evacuees from London fleeing German bombings. Also included in the collection is A History of Carbrooke , compiled by the Wayland Partnership Development Trust in 2011.