Northern Ireland
12 Jan 1944
12 Jan 1944
Dear Mother,
Just a few lines to let you know how I am feeling tonight. I don't want to write you this so that you'll worry, but I know if something should ever happen you'd wonder why I hadn't written the truth in the first place. I sure have had plenty of trouble with my jaw. In the past five days up until yesterday after dinner, I think I'd taken fifty aspirin to relieve the pain. My nerves were getting the best of me and I needed sleep so I gave up, went to the dental clinic. I waited for nearly one and a half hours before the doctor came. Then you can guess how they go to work poking around. Not that he wasn't a good dental captain and knew his job. My face or jaw was darn sore, didn't feel like being poked very much. Guess he could see after that I was standing plenty of pain because he gave me six capsules with powder much stronger than aspirin and in each capsule put in a white pill (codeine) or in other words the same thing used for giving a hypo. I went back to the hut. No one was there as they were all away for sometime. I fixed up a warm bed, took one capsule and in a few minutes passed out like a light. Didn't even get up to eat supper until someone called me the next morning. Can't tell you everything going on but I'm inside tonight. Face sore as a boil but doesn't ache. He picked out a little piece of tooth along with a small piece of jaw bone. Said in going down after the tooth it had cracked the bone a little. Then too this damp weather here I feel maybe a little cold set in. Don't worry as I know everything will be alright now.
Gee, there are a few things I'd like to write about but know it wouldn't go by. That's what makes it hard.
Had to wring out a few clothes today that had been boiled for a couple of days. I've sure found washing is a darn hard job. Ha, ha, and you should see my laundry. What do you say, how about doing your washing when I get home?
I had a letter from Flavilla the other day. Said she was home. I like to have her tell me about the children. I bet they will change some before I get back home. Mom I really miss those kids. I bet they haven't forgotten Uncle Charlie. That little old lady of Waneta's, I can see her now.
Tell Eugene his brother doesn't spend much on a haircut now. I stopped in a little town, had a haircut with a neck shave all for eight pence. Make a guess how much that is. Well nine pence would be just exactly fifteen cents so it's a little less than that. But some of them are beginning to soak the Yankees in more ways than one. If you get wise and let them know it they won't try it so much.
Yesterday I got a V-mail from Helen. I'm glad she writes a lot. There's no one back in the states that realize how much mail means to the boys. Oh yes, I also had a nice card from Helen Ladd. In fact she sent two but I haven't heard from from her mother for a long time.
We get a small army paper to read and here is a clipping I'm sending back. Pretty good joke.
Mr. Thomas sent me a bunch of church papers. I'll read what I can then give them over to the chaplain someday if I ever find time. I intend writing him a letter. If you see him tell him I was asking and send best wishes.
There's one thing wished I had and that's a good knife. I mean something like a hunting knife only not too thick or too wide at the end. Still plenty rugged with a good case but you can't get a knife now as they don't make them.
Am I right that Bert Welch or B-B as we always called him didn't make the grade for the army? If so it proves you never can tell by the looks of a fellow.
How is Dad, is his face any better? Helen wrote he had twenty two dozen of eggs to sell. Say tell him to stop squeezing them so, they'll never lay a golden egg. I remember the two eggs you cooked the first thing when I came home on furlough. I'm not fooling they sure tasted good.
Well Mom guess this is all for tonight but will write you in a couple days if not before. Everything is okay so don't worry. Say hello and I'm looking for that day when I'll see them all. Good night Mother. Take care.
Lots of Love
Son Charles
Clippings from the Army Paper
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Wouldn't go by: the information would have been censored and the letter not sent
Flavilla: his sister
Kids: Flavilla's children: Beverly 6, David 5, John 2, Harriett 1
Lady: my sister Pauline 5
Waneta: Uncle Charlie's sister, Pauline and my mother
Fifteen cents or 9 pence: Buying power in 2017 about $2.08
Helen: either his sister or a friend
The knives were not being made in Northern Ireland. His family is going to try and get him one.
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