William W. Bell papers, 1941 -- 1945

Summary Information

Abstract

This collection contains reports and newsletters created or compiled by Reverend William W. Bell, a Methodist missionary working in India and Burma, and relating to his work with British prisoner of war camps during WWII through the YMCA.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in one series in chronological order.

• William W. Bell papers, 1941 -- 1945

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains reports and newsletters created or compiled by Reverend William W. Bell, a Methodist missionary working in India and Burma, and relating to his work with British prisoner of war camps during WWII through the YMCA. Reports are typed and detail Bell's efforts to introduce creative activities to prisoners of war from Axis countries in order to "prevent boredom;" some notes of thanks from prisoners of war are also included. Newsletters include the "Y.M.C.A. War Prisoners' Aid Commentator," "War Prisoners Aid Reporter," and "Y.M.C.A. War Prisoners Aid News."

• William W. Bell papers, 1941 -- 1945

  This series contains reports and newsletters created or compiled by Reverend William W. Bell, a Methodist missionary working in India and Burma, and relating to his work with British prisoner of war camps during WWII through the YMCA. Reports are typed and detail Bell's efforts to introduce creative activities to prisoners of war from Axis countries in order to "prevent boredom;" some notes of thanks from prisoners of war are also included. Newsletters include the "Y.M.C.A. War Prisoners' Aid Commentator," "War Prisoners Aid Reporter," and "Y.M.C.A. War Prisoners Aid News."

Burke Library record group:

General collections

Using the Collection

Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

The following boxes are located offsite: Box 1. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three business days in advance.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, William W. Bell papers, circa 1941-1945, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased and received in the spring of 2022, accession GEN-2022-005.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. The finding aid was created by Leah Edelman in 2022.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

William W. Bell was a Methodist missionary for 42 years in India and Burma, where he lived with is wife and children. During World War II, Bell worked in British prisoner of war camps with prisoners from Axis countries, under the auspices of the World's Committee of the Y.M.C.A., which was part of the National Council of the Y.M.C.A.s in India, Burma, and Ceylon.