England Friday Aug. 27, 1943

                         1

Dear Mother,
     I will drop you a few lines
this morning before I go to work.
     I have visited the city of
London and have taken in all
the sights. The bombed areas
and all the great buildings.
     I saw St Pauls Catherdal,
House of Parilment and Commons.
I was on Downing Street and
saw the house Winston
Churchill lives in.
     It really doesn't seem
possible to be here seeing
all the sights and things
you read about everyday.
When I studied history in
school I never dreamed

                       2
that someday I would being
seeing all of the things you studied
about in history.
     London itself is very old
looking and they have narrow
streets and there are lots of
them and they run every which
way.
     They has buses, taxis
and Subways. There subways
I like better than New Yorks.
     The most impressive sight
I believe I saw was Westminster
Abbey. It really is a nice place.
Although a lot of things have
been removed from there for
safe keeping until the war
is over. It has been bombed
and blitzed but not very much
damage done.

                        3
     In the bombed areas of
London proper there are lots of
             empty buildings and they
look as if another bomb would
fall close by they would topple
over. They will probably be torn
down after the war is over.
     At night is the blackout
it really is black. I think it
is darker than any night I
have ever saw. You can hardly
see a thing. I am glad the U.S.
doesn't have to blackout like
London and England does.
     You will kinda have to
share your letters with the
others because I really can't
find time to answer all my
letters. Almost everyday I
receive letters from Cliffs

                       4
Luella's or Harold's. I haven't
been receiving my letters very
fast from Irene lately.
     Some Sunday have her come
over. I know I have written
more to her than I have to you
and both of you can tell each
other and get better ideas of
just how it is over here.
     I must close for now. Please
write soon and often.
                      Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on August 29th.

Background Information (and comments):

• This letter was not censored. The blank area is a scratch-out that was unreadable.