Austin Joseph Holliday Private Papers

Collection

Identifier: SC-MS-052

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection of three articles chronicles Austin Joseph Holliday’s attempts to receive service-connected total and permanent disability from the Veterans’ Administration for an illness that occurred during World War I. The plaintiff Holliday, a black WWI veteran, based his prayer for compensation under U.S. Judicial Code, Section 145, March 3, 1887, c—359, 1, 24 Stat. 505 and the World War Veterans Act 1924 in pursuant to Part I of Veterans Regulations Number I, as amended in the Economy Act, Public Law Number 2, 73rd Congress, March 20, 1933 on War Times Rates, etc. Austin Holliday filed a petition in the United States Court of Claims on August 2nd, 1949, File Number 49226. The court made its decision on the Defendant’s Demurrer on November 7, 1949 and dismissed his petition. Holliday then wrote an Appeal To The United States President and Congress.

In his petition, Holliday speaks in detail of the illnesses he is facing since his service in the war, including a dilatated aorta; psyconeurosis from close shell detonations on various battle fronts--which led to hysteria, hallucination, forgetfulness and seizures; colitis, hemorrhoids, lost hearing, and other aggravated physical symptoms. Holliday describes symptoms of PTSD before it was an official term, then named as "shell shock." He reiterates and gets into greater detail of the exact cause of his issues in his appeal, along with naming five additional WWI and WWII veterans who have suffered similar and additional complaints from sustained battle injuries and have yet to receive all or some of their entitled claims.

Dates

1949-1950

Creator

Holliday, Austin Joseph, 1896-1961 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Copyright Statement

Copyright retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Extent

1.00 Folder (Contains 1 folder)

Language

English

Additional Description

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated by Paul B. Eaglin October 23, 1987.

Digital Access

Portions of this collection have been digitized and/or are born-digital. For access to these digital materials, please browse the finding aid via the "Collection Organization" tab and select an individual file or item to see if it contains a linked digital record.

Processing Information

Originally processed by Lana Donaldson Taylor in 1988. In 2014, this manuscript collection was re-foldered and re-housed with current archival standard materials by Christine Hockaday.