Fonds consists of material created and collected by Keith Patrick during his time as a Wireless Air Gunner in the RCAF during the Second World War, including correspondence, photographs, training material, realia, and cartographic material. Fonds also includes material collected after the war which relates to his wartime experiences and civilian life.

This is the first accrual of the Mutart Family fonds, which focuses exclusively on the wartime service of Reginald Francis Mutart (7 June 1897 – 2 August 1929) during the First World War, and of his son Robert Jack Mutart (7 May 1923 – 3 February 1962) during the Second World War. The fonds consists of photocopies of 19 letters sent home by Reginald, as well as several original photographs, postcards, and service-related material. For Robert, the fonds contains 188 wartime letters from Robert to Anne, both before and after their marriage in 1945, as well as 89 letters from Robert to his family, and photographs of Robert during his service and of his wedding. There is also a small number of letters sent to Robert’s family from Vincent M. Curran, a close military friend, on behalf of Robert while he was ill.  

The fonds consists primarily of letters that Lord wrote to his wife, Elsie Grace Manewell, during the Second World War. He wrote dedicatedly nearly every day while he was overseas. Very often these letters were a month in transit before arriving in Hamilton. The archive also includes notes on Jim’s military leaves, especially to visit family in Ireland, and his trips to local Lodge meetings, weddings, and movies.

The majority, 743 letters from Jim, are handwritten, as well as some airgraphs, telegrams, and typed letters. Nearly all of these include their envelope, which Elise or her mother have noted the date they arrived compared to when they were sent. An additional 23 letters from others are mostly telegrams or handwritten letters or cards.