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In 2023, after an extensive tour of the Map Library, Ray and Deanell Sandoval, local residents, donated two World War II era maps from their grandfather鈥檚 estate. The maps are double-sided, printed on fabric (possibly silk) and were designed to assist Allied prisoners of war escape to safe territory.听They were excited to learn that historical maps are used regularly in the Map Library鈥檚 instruction program and wanted students to have access to these unusual items.

鈥淭hese maps help to highlight the importance of preserving original collections materials because of the stories they can tell as physical objects,鈥� observed conservator Hillary Morgan. Morgan preserved these maps for the University Libraries.听The Map Library holds many WWII era maps, but until this donation, none on silk. 鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to add these valuable maps to our teaching collection and can鈥檛 wait to share them with students and researchers.鈥� said Naomi Heiser, map curator.

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The maps had sharp creases suggesting they had been tightly folded into a small space. The donated maps did not have the original container.

^{Images and are representative of how E&E maps were originally packaged}

Morgan places the maps in a humidification chamber to allow the creases to relax. After humidification, the maps are placed between blotter paper and pressed under weights to dry and flatten them.

Next, the maps are inserted into archival pure polyester sleeves and sealed on three sides using an ultrasonic welder.

The history of escape and evasion maps听

The maps were called 鈥榚scape and evasion maps鈥� and they were designed to assist escaping Allied prisoners of war find their way back to safety.They were most likely produced on silk by MI9, a branch of the British secret service created during the war.

According to the they were printed on silk because, 鈥渟ilk is flexible and durable, in a way that paper is not and it is noiseless when hidden about one鈥檚 person.鈥�

Barbara Bond wrote in her thesis, , 鈥淭he importance of the maps was clearly key to the whole of MI9鈥檚 escape programme: without maps it was at best difficult and at worst impossible for the escaper or evader to find his way to freedom.鈥� (p. 55)

Dee Sanford

The maps belonged to Ray Sandoval鈥檚 grandfather, Lieutenant colonel Dee Sanford, who served in the American forces in WWII for nearly four years. 鈥淎pparently what he did was top secret and he never spoke about it,鈥� recalled Sandoval. 鈥淚 was told he was instrumental in setting up communications during the war.鈥�

According to , 鈥淢any of the maps of the Pacific region were printed by the , while the UK was responsible for many of the European Theatre maps.鈥� It was not unusual that an American serviceman at risk of capture would have a concealed British-made escape and evasion map.

"Looking beyond the printed information that these maps contain, being able to dive into the history of their creation is fascinating,鈥� said Morgan.