World War II in the Words of My Uncle: 23 Jan 1944 "My Uncle Is Mad!!!" (Post #25)

Uncle Charlie will send two letters on the same day. They appeared to have been placed in the same envelope. He wrote them on January 23, 1944, though the first letter has the year as 1943 in Northern Ireland. That can not be possible since they arrived in Northern Ireland in October 1943. The date stamped on the envelope is Jan 25, 1944 but the first letter has a postal stamp from Gorham, Maine of Feb 29, 1944, 5 PM. It would appear this letter(s) were seriously delayed somehow and the post office in Gorham, Maine, wanted to show when they had actually received it at their post office. I have seen this happen in one other letter so far. Either the envelope is already opened or the post office in Gorham, Maine, opened it to state the actual date they received it.
Has anyone else have letters that are stamped on the letter itself from World War II? Contact me please and share what you may have learned why this happened at times.

FIRST LETTER Jan 23, 1944 (though the year says 1943)

Dear Mother,
As you need a request in order to send more than light ounces, I'm sending this request to you. Please send the following.
Two (2) brown sweaters, two or three pairs of those socks, the ones I sent back home.
Six pair of leggings lace. Six pair of brown heavy shoe string, Some thin air mail writing paper.
A pair of some kind of brown gloves so I can put them inside a pair of leather ones, make it two pair if you can. You know what I mean. Guess that's all.
Love Your Son Charles U.S. Army. E.T.O.

SECOND LETTER Jan 23, 1944 Has a silver star stuck on the top left.

Northern Ireland

Jan 23, 1944

Sunday

Dear Mom,
It's Sunday afternoon so for a long letter home. Most of the time I write home first then write to the others after but today I've just finished a letter to Pauline. {His girlfriend} Gee, she made me so mad. Had a couple or so letters and it's the second time she wanted to know if I wasn't getting my letters mixed up with someone else, seems to me she was inferring to another girl. Then it's this one is married or that one or so and so having a baby along with all the details from a to z about the kid. Wants to know why I don't write different, guess she means a little more mush. I really think she bores people always talking about me and josh who knows what all is said. I've made no promises and don't care to have people think I'm almost married because that's a thousand miles out of my mind right now, that is as far as having me all picked out. I know if think were as they were a few years back I might have that on my mind .{ I think he meant to write: "I know if it was a few years back I might have had that on my mind." When you are writing and you are mad, words don't get written correctly sometimes.} Not that you did any harm but she almost went wild because you told her she should have said it was my wife that wanted the picture. Wrote that next year we might sign our names together on Christmas cards and presents. Seems some people take a lot for granted . Ok well guess I'll skip it and write you a letter.
First off, my jaw is swell except for healing up a little more. Gee, what a time. No more teeth out over here I hope.
It's sure hard to write at night now as once we had three light bulbs but now we have only one due to the drag on the wire and they couldn't stand it. Oh well, it's just another part of the E.T.O.
Helps to make a fellow smile and stop thinking of home. (bull ----)
I did a small wash yesterday and put one of those handkerchiefs Eugene sent me (brown) into some white clothes. Boy oh boy did it run, but to heck with it. They've been washed and that's what counts, also washed two pair of leggings.
Gee, Mom, I've been waiting for mail since Christmas but I sure had it yesterday, about twenty letters and cards. One from Helen's Grandpa with a Yankee Dollar in it. I'm going to keep it just to show around. The bills or note here as they call them look like cigarette coupons and seems very little like money. The main one being a pound note or about four dollars. The next is the ten shilling note or two dollars. They have no dollar note. I left New York with a lucky penny. I found also a nickel which I still have.
You should see them look at them. What will the people say to see a dollar bill, as our (in Northern Ireland) money is much smaller than this here (dollar bill).
I am going to enclose a note so you can send me a few things I want.
Helen sent me a card or picture she took of the trees in front of her home with the heavy snow on them. Gee, it made me think of Maine also a little homesick. Told me her mother broke her arm or wrist in three places. Mom ,it just don't seem fair for her to go through so much, poor woman from one thing to another. I sure would like a few pictures of your plants.
At night I put my overcoat on top and sleep quite warm. There was quite a crack in the concrete near my head and as the bunk is only six or eight inches high it sure lets in a draft so with a little mud I filled it up. We jump up in the morning and gee the cold water to wash in is down over a little hill in a little old hut. If you keep your hands in it at all your fingers get numb because the water is just like ice.
Mom, you can't guess how cold it is, just like clear ice water and I'm not fooling a bit. I'll assure you one thing, you're wide awake after that. It feels like a cold damp cellar here all the time.
No, Mom, just keep the cards.
Gee, that shipyard must be some place. I can't blame the President for what he said. It sure makes one feel proud of my home and home life. Talking about the women being wild, maybe it's because of the shortage of men. As for Eugene, Mom, don't you worry. I I still have faith in him. Yes, Rick told me his mother wrote. She received a card from you.
Say what kind of eggs do the hens lay- (poor or the real thing.) I was going to say it would save time just to blow it out in powder and also help the war cause. Would I like a couple eggs like I had that morning when I came home on furlough. I'm so sick of dehydrated food.
I see you still plan ahead. Canning chicken etc. Storm windows to save on wood and keep warm. Some joke about LeRoy getting it for you.
Who was that boy that got home from Gorham? Gee, he must have been through a lot.
Thank you for the pretty New Year card and boy have I heard plenty about your new hat.
Glad Joe (brother-in-law) got his new tractor (hold it, one of the fellows just said or shouted "oh shit why can't we get back to the States out of this rain and mud.") but I can't understand Claude (Joe works for this potato farmer). Still on the other hand I can bet Joe will get ahead and be on his own someday. (Joe will start farming in Homestead, Florida in the late 1940's and will become very wealthy. He married Uncle Charlie and my mother's sister Helen.)
Sorry to hear about Mr. Mains hand, hope he has no trouble. But Mrs. ????, you're right be careful what you say or do.
I received my mill paper but it was sent to the wrong address so I guess they didn't get the letter I sent. In the next issue there will be a line or two for me. If I think of it I will send the write up home. Helen said if I hadn't received the Mill News she would fix it up for me.
As for sending me a dollar, Mom, well, you just keep your money and when you find an extra dollar spend it on yourself. If I should really need a dollar I'll write but see no reason why I should. (It amazes me my uncle and grandmother is talking about a dollar. At the same time I knew my mother and the family grew up poor in the 1920's and 1930's so the family would have been very careful with their money even in the 1940's.)
So Dad killed Mr. Stevens' two pigs. He must go over and help him quite a lot by the way you all write. Glad he can have a little to do if it's not too much. ( My grandfather was not a healthy man even at the age of 51 in 1944. He will die in 1957 at the age of 64. His brother had died at the age of 55 and their father died at the age of 35 in 1895.)
I hear Ida Hamblen is married. Gee gosh all hemlock (slang for God Almighty!) who next. Guess that song "Everybody Doing It" should be quite the go now, at least the title.
Well, Mom, we still have our "Star Dust" that helps to keep it muddy. Sometimes we call it Irish Sunshine but it's all rain, rain, rain and cold as ice. Sometimes we have a little snow, but it melts before it hits the ground. Sometimes in the middle of the day the water will drop off the tree as when the sun is coming up in the morning back home after an ice storm. You can see kind of a steam coming from the ground but the sun never stays out. The shadows are extra long even at noon.
How about it, Mom, even if the sheets are small how is this for a letter? Don't forget me to all the folks back home.
Lots of Love
from across the pond. Son Charles