Four (4) letters from "Jim" Archibald to his sister Hazel Draper from his time on the front in France during World War I:

Letter, 1917. Describes his daily schedule of breakfast, roll call, preparation of aircraft, flight with a French instructor, lunch, afternoon lectures, dinner, and arguing around the heating stove. Four (4) handwritten pages.

Letter, June 8, 1918. Describes aviators waiting eagerly in Paris for their orders, including prominent figures who cannot be named; his delivery of a plane to an aviation school 150 miles away. Two (2) handwritten pages.

Letter, June 23, 1918. Describes flying to Tours and running into a colleague from Seattle; taking up advanced aircraft and performing stunts; a visit to a hospital to observe operations and subsequent gratefulness that he is an aviator "for it will either be death or nothing [...] which is far better than losing a leg or arm or some other injury." Two (2) handwritten pages.

Letter, August 25, 1918. Describes his new plane as better than the old one he crashed; a fellow aviator winning a prize for being one of the first five Americans to get three German planes and subsequent celebration; likelihood of promotion because of his membership in the First Pursuit Group. One (1) folded sheet, four (4) handwritten pages.