It is just about time I wrote another
letter to you. Well I guess we have another four
years of the same president. Well I guess no matter
who is in this office the war will continue
to go on until we can really beat the Germans.
We are back in our rainy season again. I
guess it rains here just as it did in England. I
guess we were in a rainy spot in England.
Gosh how I miss London. We were only about
25 miles from London. It didn't take long to go or
come from there.
Soon after arriving here in France I visited an
American cemetery {censored}. It is really
fixed up nice and it will really be grand when it
is finished. This is close to be beach where the
invasion took place. At the time I thought about
George Bostley then I heard later on he was just
wounded. Some of the fellows found some graves
of boys they knew. I also visited Cherbough one
evening. It really is quite a place now. It is about
the same as I expected it to look.
Some of the towns near there are just gone.
I know now just how some of the fighting went.
I sure hope I don't have to go through anything like
I have seen around there. But almost everywhere
you go in France it is battered up.
I don't go into town on pass here. I can't talk
the language and there isn't any entertainment but
a few cafes, and they just sell drinks.
Our mail has been very scarce in comeing
through. I guess it must be with our Christmas
packages. I haven't received any of them yet either.
I had a letter from Luella and she just mentioned
the fire at Driggs. I suppose your letter will
contain more about it and I hope some there
will be some clippings.
Well it soon will be Thanksgiving again. Last
year I was on a five day furlough. I don't know
how we will celebrate it this year. I hope we
will have a good dinner anyway. They say there
will be plenty of turkey for the soldiers. I sure
hope so.
Our rations have been cut over here now.
They use to have four bars of candy and one
pack of gum. Seven packs of cigars[sic] or 10 cigars.
Of course I can do with cigarettes but I do enjoy
a cigar once in awhile. Now they have cut it
to 5 packs of cigarettes a week. It is hitting a lot
of the heavy smokers. I don't know how much the
candy has been cut.
Well I guess this is about all for this letter.
I hope the mail will be better soon. Haven't heard
from Harley for quite some time now.
Goodnight for now. Please write as often
as you can.
Love Ralph.
Please send me some six cent airmail
stamps and envelopes. They are hard to get
over here. Also send me some shoe strings to
fit work shoes, and anything esle you think I
might need. I have plenty of razor blades and soap.
The next letter will be posted on November 12th.
Background Information (and comments):
- The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. It was fought immediately after the successful Allied landings on June 6, 1944. Allied troops, mainly American, isolated and captured the fortified port, which was considered vital to the campaign in Western Europe, in a hard-fought, month-long campaign.
- Here is a photo I found online of Cherbourg
- Driggs Dairy Farm was located in Palmyra, MI. If anyone has a photo or memories to share, please comment on this post.
- This photo is one that Ralph sent in a letter. I imagine he took it at the cemetery he mentioned (but the location was censored). On the back he wrote "General McNorris grave".
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