Diary of Lydia de Roth: A London Warden, 1939-1941

The collection contains material pertaining to de Roth’s career in civil service, as well as her passion for the arts, history, and Baltimore society. Of particular interest may be her diary that she kept during her service as an air raid warden in London. She also wrote a manual on air raid warden training based on her experiences. Many poems from friends and family are included, especially many works written by her sister, Nancy Venable. The poetry ranges from religious subjects to reflections on World War II, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It appears that de Roth attempted to create an anthology of poetry written about the London Blitz. She also kept an extensive record of newspaper clippings about her family, including events commemorating Francis Scott Key and members of the Howard family, Baltimore history and society, and general news. Some of the correspondence related to her work in Brazil is written in Portuguese.