Sept. 30th, 1943

Dear Mother,
          Just a letter to let you know I am ok and
everything is as good as can be expected. We
sure could have a few nice days.
          Can you tell me if all my allotments
have been received to date, and just how much
you have received so far. I increased it and
was wondering if your had received the increases.
          I have been receiving my mail quite regular
now. Almost a letter a day. Then once in awhile
they all come in bunches. If you send me
a package will you put my flashlight in it.
I can get batteries over here for it. Also I could
use some heavy socks.
          Can you give me more details about Freemans
work. All I have heard he is on some farm. How
did he get the job. I wrote to Newt last night I
don't remember if I have written to him before
or not since being over here.
          I have been wondering if they had the fair this
year and if the sugar factory has started. I sure
wish I was back there to help them start.
This is my second season from being there
now. Goodbye                        for now. Love Ralph


The next letter will be posted on Oct. 3rd.

Background Information (and comments):

• This was sent as a V-mail; Ralph wrote this on Sept. 30th, but it wasn't postmarked until October 7th.
• The small writing was extremely difficult to read; I'm guessing at the name "Newt".
• Freeman was Ralph's youngest brother; he turned 18 in June 1943.

Sunday Sept. 26, 1943

                               1

Dear Mother,
     Well finally some of your letters
have caught up with me. I hadn't
received one for almost 3 weeks, but a
few days ago I received some. It
is really too bad about Warren's
wife. I hardly could believe it. I guess
one never know what is really in
store for us.
     I received letters from Irene, Luella
Marie, Lenore and you. It is like sitting
down and reading a book when you get
so many. I enjoyed everyone of them too.
     I guess Irene will always be the
same to me as always. I get impatient
when I don't hear for a while and then
I start worrying. Everything is ok I guess
from the way all my letters read. It is
just bad connections in getting our mail.
     I have written to you every  week
and sometimes twice a week. I hope you
have received all of them.

                                  2
     The chaplain gave out stationery this
morning after the services. We had a
grand service this morning. I wished I
could have attended the service tonight
but I am on C.Q duty tonight so I couldn't
go.
     I have been in London again. I go there
everytime I have a day off. I saw the
movie "Gone With The Wind" I seen it about
3 years ago but it was still good to see it
again.
     I believe we had the meals today yet
that I have had since being in the E.T.O.
I still would love to have a good old
chicken dinner again. I am looking forward
to Thanksgiving Day dinner. Maybe we
will have turkey or some kind of fowl.
     I won't know the old home place when
I get home the way Dad is painting things
up around there.
     Well I can't think of much more
to write about tonight, so I guess I will
have to say goodbye till some other time.

                                 3
     Hope I receive a letter from you
 this week. It gets quite lonesome when
I don't hear from you every week. I
guess you will have to do most of
the writing from that end, because I
really don't have much to write about.
     Goodbye for now. Tell everyone I
said hello and I always enjoy letters
from anyone. So long for now.
                                         Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on Sept. 30th.

Background Information (and comments):

• Ralph used CQ and ETO is this letter. Here are explanations and a photo of the stationery he used:

• CQ or Charge of Quarters is a tasked duty in which a United States armed forces service member is to guard the front entrance to the barracks.

• 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 theate

• The term "European Theater of Operations" should not be confused with the European Theater of World War II, which is often defined to include the years before the US entered the war, and other campaigns and actions which did not involve the use of American forces. 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".

  
  

England Sept. 19, 1943

                               1

Dear Mother & all,

     Well another week has passed

by and time for a letter to you.

I have been looking for a letter

from you for two weeks now

but none as yet. The mail

is certainly mixed up lately.

About the shortest in comeing

here now is V-mail. It comes

in about 10 days. Some of my

letters are 30 days old by the 

time I get them.

     Nothing much exciting has

happened here this week. I've

received a few letters and have

answered a few. It seems like

a typical fall out and makes

me think more of home everyday.

                             2

     I have made one of my weekly

visits to London again. I had 

a little different experience here

this time. I don't suppose I 

dare tell about so I must let

it wait until I get home and

tell of my experiences abroad.

     Luella stated in her letter

Freeman was working out and you

would probably explain more

later on. But no letters but I

look for some very soon now.

There is very little mail on 

Sunday here but we do receive

it. No one would know it was 

Sunday if the chaplain quit

comeing around. He comes around

and we knock off of work for

a short time and go to a short

church services held in some

                         3

of the building here at our base.

It always makes me think

of our little church back home.

As I sit there and listen my

mind sometimes gets to wandering

and I think how surprise

everyone would be if I could

just drop in on them back 

home. When I sit down to eat

my dinner I think that back 

home you are just about ready

to get up and it really doesn't

seem like the same world.

I suppose it won't be by the

time I get home. I know

everything will be changed. Even

the towns will probably look

odd and strange and there will

be a lot of folks missing I once

knew and there will be new ones.

                         4

     About Christmas this year

mother. I wish I could be there

with all of you, but that is out

of the question. So I will just be

there in thought and I will think

alot about it. I don't know

how I will manage on the 

presents. But I want you to

buy something for Irene out

of my allotments. I don't care

if it takes the whole check.

Then I am asking her over there

for dinner. You also ask her.

If she doesn't accept try to 

persuade her folks into having

her come. I want her there with

you this year.

     We have had a grand day here

today. It reminds me of Indian

summer at home. I'll bet it

                          5

is beginning to look pretty

around there now with the

leaves turning. They haven't

started here as yet.

     Mother could you send me

a package containing, peanuts

the canned type, candy, gum

and etc. It is all rationed here

and we don't get much.

I must close for now. Good

luck to everyone and hope to

hear from you soon.

                           Love Ralph.

The next letter will be posted on Sept. 26th.

Background Information (and comments):

• Here is some information about rationing in Great Britain during WWII. If you would like the entire article, the website is http://www.cooksinfo.com/british-wartime-food

In the 1930s, before the outbreak of the Second World War, the British population was somewhere between 46 million and 52 million.

Britain imported 70% of its food; this required 20 million tons of shipping a year. 50% of meat was imported, 70% of cheese and sugar, 80% of fruits, 70% of cereals and fats, 91% of butter. Of this, 1/6th of meat imports, 1/4 of butter imports and 1/2 of cheese imports came from New Zealand alone, a long ways away by shipping lanes.

Knowing this would lead the Axis powers into hoping to starve the British population into submission, by cutting off those food supply lines.

The British government began planning for wartime rationing in 1936. Should war occur again, this time they hoped to be better prepared based on their experiences the last time around. A Food (Defence Plans) Department was set up as part of the Board of Trade to do the project planning. Ration booklets were printed up in 1938, ready to go.

England 9-11-43

Dear Mother,
     Well here it is Saturday
night and what a night. I am
really tired. It really doesn't
seem like Saturday night at all.
If I was home I would be out
but here I am writing a letter
on a Saturday night.
     I don't think I will finish
this tonight. I am not in
much of a mood for writing
tonight. I haven't received any
letter from you this week
yet. In fact I have only had
three letters in two days. I
haven't heard from Irene for
eleven days now. Do you
know what is wrong?

Hardly any mail is comeing
through. I don't know what
holds it up. Your letters take
from seven to ten days. I
received one from Lenore and Luella
today.
     I have been in London this
week. I guess I have the city
about all taken in now. I
want to see the Tower of London
and the London Bridge yet.
     Well I will write more tomorrow.
Maybe I will have a little
more to write about then. I
hope we get some mail soon.
My morale is getting low
again.
     Monday noon. Well the week
end has come and gone bringing
me two letters and none from

you or Irene. I am beginning
to wonder what is wrong down
there.
     I received a swell letter from
Ferne and one from Marie.
Maybe today will yield
something. I must close for
now. Nothing new has happened
here. Goodbye for now. Send
all the news.
                            Love Ralph.


The next letter will be posted on Sept. 19th.

Background Information (and comments):

• This article from the website http://www.igreenbaum.com/2012/04/02/wartime-postmaster-details-the-work-of-mail-delivery-in-wwii/ offers the following quote and explanation of mail delivery:

If you have any doubts about how important mail delivery was during World War II, read the words of the then-postmaster general of the United States,Frank C. Walker: “It is almost impossible to over-stress the importance of this mail. It is so essential to morale that army and navy officers of the highest rank list mail almost on a level with munitions and food.”

An example may make clear just where it is that the Post Office Department withdraws from the picture and the military authorities assume control. Mrs. Richard Roe, in Chicago, knows that her son is overseas, but is not sure just where he is stationed.

She addresses her letter as follows: “Private William D. Roe, 32,000,000; Company F, 167th Infantry, APO 810, c/o Postmaster, New York, N.Y.,” and drops it in a mail box. At the Chicago post office, it is canceled, sorted, and tied in a package of letters labeled “New York, N.Y.–Military Mail.”

Still under the Post Office Department’s immediate control, it arrives at the New York Post Office’s Postal Concentration center, a great building whose entire facilities and hundreds of workers are engaged exclusively in the final processing of the mall before it is handed over to the military authorities.

The package goes through sorting processes for separations according to the branch of the service, such as Infantry or Field Artillery, and secondly according to the Company or similar designation. Finally, Mrs. Roe’s letter is placed in a package of mail for members of Company F, 167th Infantry. The package then goes in a mail bag to the New York Port of Embarkation Army Post Office. It is here that the Army assumes control.

The Army knows where Company F is located; we do not. Private Roe’s letter goes by ship or plane to the overseas A.P.O. through which Company F gets its mail. The package is handed to the mail orderly of Company F and he delivers the letter to Bill Roe. If Bill has been transferred, or if he is in a hospital, the Army Directory Service furnishes the new address and the letter is re-dispatched or re-sorted for delivery at the new location. When letters are misdirected, long delays occur. Ship sinkings have meant the loss of many thousands of letters.

Mrs. Roe’s letter to Bill is one of approximately five billion which go to and from the armed forces in a year. For the happiness of Mrs. Roe and the millions like her and for the fighting efficiency of Bill Roe and the millions like him, that mail must be handled with speed and efficiency.

England Sunday Sept 5 complete letter (posted on May 5)

Dear Mother & all,
     I received your letter of Aug.
24th yesterday. It was a very nice
letter and I enjoyed it very much.
The newspaper clippings came
through ok. I sure would like
to receive either the Metamora
paper or the Blissfield paper. I
would like to know where a lot
of the fellows are and what they
are doing.
     You asked me about my
A P O address. Inform all of them
at home and around there my
correct A P O number is 635
     Yes the country side over
here is really clean and
neat. Most of the roads are

narrow and have hedges along
both sides. They wind around
hills and are rolling and a lot
of curves. It really is a pretty
sight.
     Lots of houses have thatch
roofs and all of them are of stone
or brick. They all have a lot
of chimneys and I guess most
of there heating is done by
fireplaces. Some have electricity
but you can't see any lights anyway
on account of the blackouts.
     Yes we have a few fresh
vegatables for our meals. Most
of our meals are good meals.
I could really use some of
those nice fresh eggs. Ours
are all powdered eggs and I really
get tired of them. We have fresh

meats and our cooks have improved
a lot.
     I was at a Sunday service
again while we were working. I
sure will be glad to get back
to the church again.
     Goodbye for now. Please
write often. I really enjoy all
the letters I receive. Tell all
hello for me. Goodbye.
                            Love Ralph.

Background Information (and comments):

• I posted just the first page of this letter on Sept. 5, 2016 and noted that the rest of the letter was missing. I found the last 2 pages stuck in with the letters written in April. I thought his description of the area was interesting, so I re-posted the entire letter.