Dr William J. Abel, 20 January 1995 - 3 January 1999

This folder contains seven hand-written letters on faith and spirituality from Dr William J. Abel (Edin. Graduate?, 1916-2010) to Irene J. Young and one typed letter sent from Irene J. Young to Dr William J. Abel, between 1995 and 1999. In the first letter, William discusses a war commemoration and Second World War-related book, other books he has read including a selection of poems by Kipling, friends that he has visited in Edinburgh, and reflections on the Christian faith - including reading The Confessions of St. Augustine.

There is a sheet entitled "Desiderata", where Abel seems to have hand-written the popular poem "The Desiderata", noting on the back of the sheet that the original inscription of the poem was found in Old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore, dated 1692. In the other letters, Abel continues to discuss his faith and spirituality and discusses many quotations from scripture and literature, as well as anecdotes from his service in the North African and Italian campaigns for the Royal Army Medical Corps.