10 Nov 1943 "First Letter from Uncle Charlie in Northern Ireland" (Post #7)

Uncle Charlie along with the other troops of the 15th Field Artillery Battalion left the harbor of New York on 7 October 1943 and arrived finally at Belfast, Northern Ireland. There will be several months of training. The first few weeks the soldiers were anxious to get letters from home. The first letter Uncle Charlie sent home was dated 27 October 1943. His parents will receive it 10 November 1943. There can be no doubt this had caused some weeks of worry for his family since the last letter they had received from their son was in the first week in October 1943. The family had been use to getting a letter every week when he was Camp McCoy. Grammie Knight (Uncle Charlie's mother) likely prayed often to God during those quiet weeks of hearing no word. Her son had stated in an earlier letter these prayers would bring him home again.

V-MAIL Letter

The first letter from Uncle Charlie was called a V-MAIL. The letter measured 5"by 4 3/8". It appeared to have been photocopied. The writing was extremely small. The envelope measured 3 3/4" by 4 11/16" that had a window allowing the address from the letter to be seen if folded correctly.

V-MAIL Envelope

This first letter my grandparents received was not the first letters he wrote since arriving in Northern Ireland but it is the first letter his parents received. You will see earlier letters in future posts.
He shared in this letter dated Oct 21, 1943, that he had received a letter from home on the evening of the 26th of October that had been written on 6 Oct 1943. He also wrote and I quote, "I didn't realize it myself when back home but I see now the American people have little to complain about. They haven't started to go without and they little know what a blackout is. This paper is small so I'll send more in my next letter.
   Say hello to all for me. I'm feeling ok except for a little head cold. I wouldn't swap the good old U.S.A. for any place I've seen so far. If I could only write what I like. 
    Will say goodbye to all for now.   Love
                                                           Son Charles

In his letter written on 7 Nov 1943 he shared about the weather in Northern Ireland. It wasn't cold but it was rainy causing the ground to remain muddy "because it is so far north the sun just about gets up at noon when down it goes. This keeps the day from warming up and the ground plenty damp or should I say wet."

He also wrote about their living conditions. "The people over hear have learned from war what it means to go without and save. Here are a few changes we have had since coming over. No food is to be wasted so an officer stands at the end of the chow line as you return to wash your mess kit, if you have anything at all left over he will ask you why, take your name and report you to higher officials. Don't ask me what will happen then. Another thing, we have forty two sheets of toilet paper per man per week. You have to make it last. One bar of soap for everything you do, one package of gum, two candy bars, two razor blades etc. but you can make it do after awhile...….We live in little huts, sleep on beds that consist of two little benches about six inches high with four boards for springs then a mattress containing some straw. Gee the first few nights, made me think of my bed back home.-------------
     Will send more mail from now on but for now will say as they say around these parts. Cheerio
                                                             Love
                                                               Charles

He also shared his apologies if he couldn't get anything for the family for Christmas though he would try to send a Christmas card. He also mentioned how the people used different words then we did, such as, chemist for druggist, ladder for run in stockings, minerals for soft drinks etc.

Uncle Charlie and his family that included my mother grew up not having much but what he was experiencing in Northern Ireland was showing him what it really meant to go without or how to be very frugal with anything you had. This was a taste of what war could cause and he has not yet reached the battlefields that were yet to come.