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.
No comments:
Post a Comment