December 14, 1943
Tuesday
Dear Mother and Dad,
Guess you'll think I've forgotten all about you as it has been over a week since I last wrote you.
You may be sure of this the longer I spend over here the more I think about home.
I haven't any of your letters here with me now so will pen a few lines and later will answer what few letters I have received. Haven't had much mail for some time. Due to the fact you write every day I suppose the time will come when I'll be flooded with letters. That is why a V-mail letter now and then is nice as they seem to come more regular. I did receive a box from Pauline with powder,
fruit cake, life savers, cross word puzzle book and as you see a pen. I didn't believe it cost very much but as I didn't have one it'll sure come in handy. I also got about twelve newspapers. I've
read about two of them as I haven't had time for any more. I don't read all the news as it is so old but the local news is good as it helps keep me up on things I wouldn't know otherwise.
Gee, it sure can get cold here at times. You'll get three or four days and nights and it will get quite cold and I mean the cold will go right through you as it is so damp here. You know how it is back home when you get up in the morning with a heavy white frost on the ground. Here when you have a heavy frost it stays on all day because the sun never gets up high enough to take it off. It doesn't get daylight here until about nine o'clock in the morning and it's dark again about four in the afternoon. In the summer it's just the other way around. You can read a paper outside at eleven o'clock at night and it's day light about four or five. The reason for that is because it's so far north. All in all I do not believe it would be very healthy over here for any one not use to this climate. It's all together too damp. I was never cold back home and I didn't wear half the clothes I have on now.
As you know I am in the E.T.O. and I guess by now now you know what E.T.O. stands for.
I see by the paper that the Wescott boy that lived beyond Helen's house has received the award of the Purple Heart and is now in a hospital in North Africa. You know who I mean some of Dot's folks.
Oh yes Mom I asked a man if they have any snakes over here and he said "Sure enough and we don't" Ha Ha Mom by the time I get back home and mix up all the different English I've heard you folks won't be able to understand me.
Five and I must be closing now for it would not be getting late. If only I had a wee spot of tay before going to bed. Cheerio Love Son Charles
One thing I like to do is to "read between the lines" in these letters. My Uncle Charlie couldn't give details about military activities etc. Let's find some information my uncle said, in my opinion, without writing about it in the letter. Knowing my uncle and also getting to learn his routine while in the military these are some of my ideas. I have also added some information to clarify some of the information he did share.
1. It has been awhile since writing a letter and he also said he only could read two of the newspapers: He was very likely doing very extensive military training that took both time and was exhausting.
2. He wrote that he didn't have any letters with him at the time he was writing this letter:
He was out in the field doing military exercises. He was not near his hut.
3. He speaks about missing home and he shares the very few hours of day light in December:
It is understandable a young soldier would miss home but having only four or five hours of daylight is well known to cause a greater chance of depression or as called today Seasonal Affective Disorder and can give us further understanding of a U.S. soldier's reason of feeling lonely while in Northern Ireland.
It would also mean that many of their military exercises were done in darkness. It would seem very unlikely to just use the hours of light. Also fighting or even moving during the night while on the battlefield would require special training.
4. Uncle said he enjoyed reading the local news even if an older newspaper:
Local news (even old) was more important to a soldier while reading a newspaper than state or national news. They wanted to know what was happening at "home" with family, friends, neighbors, or residents within their home town.
5. He shared about a Wescott boy serving in Africa and receiving a Purple Heart:
Doing some quick research I would predict my uncle was referring to Robert S Wescott who served in WW II, had a sister name Dorothy (Dot), lived in South Windham in 1940 which was very close to my uncle's home and survived the war in spite of being in a hospital in Africa. He died in 1986.
6. He shares about the language differences while speaking about snakes and something for bedtime:
"Spot of tay" was my uncle's way of saying what he had heard that meant a cup of tea.
7. Weather had a major impact on my uncle:
He wrote a whole paragraph about the weather and the amount of day light.
8. He was in the E.T.O.
World War II – European Theater of Operations is what E.T.O. means
The "European Theater of Operations" was the term used by the United States in World War II, to refer to all US military activity in Europe that fell under the administrative command of "European Theater of Operations, United States Army" (ETOUSA). It was bordered to the south, by the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO), covering North Africa and Italy. The United States Department of War officially established ETOUSA, on June 8, 1942. Its mission was to conduct planning for the eventual retaking of Europe, and to exercise administrative and operational control over U.S. forces. From February 1944, the "Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force" (SHAEF) took over operational command. As an Allied command, SHAEF also had operational control of British and all other allied land forces and tactical air forces in the European theater. The term "theater of operations" was defined in the American field manuals as "the land and sea areas to be invaded or defended, including areas necessary for administrative activities related to the military operations".
http://ww2-eto.com/
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| World War II US ARMY EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS ETO COMMAND PATCH CUT EDGE |
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