5 Dec 1943 "Rats as Big as Cats" (Post #14)

 Northern Ireland

 Sunday

 Dec 5, 1943

Dear Mother and All back home,

     Sure am thinking of you all tonight. I got your card for Christmas and I'm surprised to think that you'd ask me if I could see you. To be sure I found you before I opened the envelope. It made me feel a little homesick so before I looked inside I just held the card in my hand and thinking of you. Oh well there's only one thing to do, try and smile. As you may know when one first arrives in a place there are so many things to catch the eye that it takes up some of your time but after a time things grow old then you find yourself with you mind across the ocean.

     Gee ,I am sure pleased about Flavilla with her cooking. So Sis was the only one in Maine to win a prize. Do you remember what she sent?

     I can see Helen now jumping with joy about Joe. I guess it will turn out to be a good match after all.

     Seems to me they'll never get the house moved over. I know it will improve our place a lot. Someday that location would be a swell place to put up a nice garage. Guess a three car building wouldn't be too large.

     Wish I could see some of that good old snow in place of this mud. I can't tell you all about it but I sure had mud from head to foot when I came in one time. My feet were so wet that they had swelled but we're going to all have rubber over shoes soon. I'm afraid the mud and water may even go over the top of those. You'd never believe what a man can go through.

     Forget about the money and never mind the war bond as I am buying one at $12.50 every month now. If you have any left over just save it. I'd like to see you get a little wood ahead.

War Bonds came at various amounts

     How about sending me that tail of our pig when you kill it? I'll cook it and have pig tail special. It sure take points to buy meat. Oh well someday we may be able to return to normal life again.

When he mentioned points, my Uncle was talking about ration points. These are points from a ration book that belonged to Uncle Charlie's mom and dad in Gorham, Maine, USA

     Talking about salt pork and macaroni it's no joke I wouldn't mind having a little pork gravy with some Cape Cod Turkey. Ha ha. You can forget about the beans. (U.S. Army bean special)

I sure must have a lot of mail on the road somewhere. Pauline sent me the Reader's Digest and when I got it the magazine was soaking wet. I had a time drying it out so I could read it. Please let me know if you received the V-mail letter I wrote on the boat.

     One of the fellows came in the other night after going to the latrine saying he saw three rats come from the side of the hut into the path and sit up just like a dog. I took the light and went out. After standing still for a few minutes I heard a noise and put on the light and gosh I saw two rats that looked like a small cat. Gee they were big.

Huts used by our army in 
Northern Island

     Mom when you send your next letter will you slip in a few stamps as they are so hard to get here. I might find some small thing and want to send it home. Seeing it's hard to get stamps I don't like to keep things around. As fast as I answer a letter I burn it up.

      I got three Portland Papers but haven't any more. I may have to write in order to have it sent. If you ever have any pictures don't forget to send them as it will be alright.

     I sure thought of home and you today when I was doing some washing in my steel helmet. It made me think of the small things you did that didn't seem to amount to much at that  time, such as, sewing on buttons etc. but as I look at my white pieces and see how gray they are I think of you and how white you got my white dress shirts. One never realizes until they have to do it themselves.       
     I boil them but they don't seem to come white.

     Well folks I need to get my helmet out and shave before going to bed so will sign off soon. Tell Dad to take it easy and don't forget to get what you can ahead. of time Be sure to keep warm. Keep the oil drums full. Cheer up Mother. Show them that you can keep that chin high. Lots of love from your son just looking to the day when he'll be coming Home. Charles.

Pauline was a lady friend of my dashing
 uncle during his younger years. She sent
the Reader's Digest my uncle had to dry.

Some personal thoughts as I read the letter. 

  1. The comment about my Uncle Charlie being able to see his mother I am not sure what he meant unless in his mind or she had a small picture of herself on the envelope , but he was definitely missing home. Even the newness had worn off at being at a new place after only seven weeks. The weather of rain and mud. The very short days, and I'm sure the training they were doing didn't make Northern Ireland a place to make you forget about home. 

  2. My Aunt Flavilla was a great cook so I am not surprised she won a prize for cooking. 

  3. My Aunt Helen had fallen in love with Joseph Borek from Connecticut that was working for a potato farmer in Maine. Aunt Helen will marry him in 1943 when she was 17 and he was 21. They will become a very prosperous family in farming in Homestead, Florida. 

  4. There was a small house moved on the Knight property for my grandmother's mother and step-father to live in. After their death a three car garage was built, but one part was used for Uncle Charlie's wood shop. He enjoyed building things. 

  5. Cape Cod turkey is actually salted cod. 

  6. V-mail letter written on the boat on October 16, 1943 was received by my grandmother on December 24, 1943.     
  7. It is so true; we think of the small things people have done for us when we have to do them ourselves. Reading about white dress shirts reminded me that not only did men wear dress shirts a great deal more in 1943 but my father would always dress in a suit and tie in the 1970's when he went to his doctor.