CHAPTER 3. 9/21/43 TO 11/12/43 PING PONG & ST. IVES
21 September ‘43 Tuesday My Dearest Betty;
I’m sort of blue this evening, dear, I haven’t had a letter from you for a week. I was sure that some would come today, but I was disappointed. I guess they are coming by boat instead of by air mail. And to make matters worse, it is just two months since I’ve seen you; that is, it is two months by the calendar, it has actually been much longer than that in my opinion.
I didn’t do much today, in fact I didn’t do anything except work and eat and think of you and bother the mail clerk every half hour or so looking for some mail. I can’t tell you about the work, and the food was nothing to write home about, I’ve already complained about the mail situation, I always think of you all the time, so that doesn’t leave me much to talk about this evening, does it. Maybe if I keep punching these keys something will come out. The way I’ve been hitting the wrong keys, It may not be legible, tho. . . .
. . . . . I’m on duty all night tonight, which is a happy thought. Of course, I can go to sleep after twelve, but I still won’t get as much rest as I would like to have. . .
I took some time off, and have been reading magazines for a while. There is a pretty good file of “Life” and “Time” here. I looked at the pictures in Life, and read through most of the latest Time. The edition of Time that comes over here is special in that it has all the advertisements left out, and just has the reading material (and pictures). The print is a lot smaller too, that way it can be sent as first class mail and doesn’t take so long to get here. A lot of the magazines are doing the same thing. . .
It has been chilly around here lately. I suppose it won’t be long before I’ll have to dig out the long underwear and overcoat. It really isn’t so cold, but the weather is so damp that it seems colder. It is a lot like Aberdeen was last year, although I don’t think it actually gets as cold here as it did in Aberdeen. Ah, to see good old California again! It’ll be a big job to get me away from there once I get back. . .
23 September ‘43 Thursday Hi Darling;
I wish you were here now dear; we are all in George and the major’s (the major and just over minor’s) room; Steve, Saint, George, Maj. Keck, Bill Durrenberger, and me. At the present time we are all reading our mail which arrived in droves after a dry week. We are also drinking wine and getting in a very good mood. George just told a story, but got it all mixed up, so Saint took over and told it.
I got three letters from you today, and one from Merv. Yours were of the 1st, 8th, & 9th. I also got one from Mom, so I really did alright. Merv’s letter was a scream as usual, only more so because he wasn’t as careful of his language as he was when he was writing to both of us. . .
You’re really the social butterfly these days, aren’t you. I’m glad that you are getting out so much, & I think as long as you are keeping busy that way, it would be better not to go to work. While it is nice to save money and all, money isn’t everything, and we ought to be able to save quite a bit on what I make. So long as you are happy and having a good time and are busy. It’s nice that you can have this time with your mother too, because she always worked so much, and if you were working it would be just about as bad. I’ll expect you to be an experienced cook when I get back, with all the practice you’ll get & what your mother can teach you. Don’t start throwing things now, I didn’t say your cooking was no good; I would give anything to be eating some of it now, and then would even be glad to wash, no, dry the dishes afterwards.
Saint is writing a letter to Maj. Keck’s wife now, and is doing his darndest to get the major in bad. He started out by saying we were gathered to celebrate the unusual occasion of the Maj. being sober for two days running. I’m glad he doesn’t know you, or he might give you the wrong impression about me. . .
This is a swell bunch of fellows here; I’ve said that many times, I know, but I really mean it. I don’t know when I’ve been with a better bunch; they are all half crazy and/or slap happy, which helps a lot.
Col. Reed’s secretary (male) just came in & the party is just about complete. The Col. has three secretaries, who we also use when we need them, and there are a couple others floating about the office. The male secretary, John, and two of the others are American. . .
I really enjoy these sessions with the boys. George is trying his darndest to palm off his “Chelsea” cigarettes on us while we are in a happy mood, but isn’t having much luck; we would have to be pretty drunk to accept them. A while ago the cigarette ration was seven packs of good cigarettes and a carton of Chelsea a week; those cigs are on a par with spam in the jokes around here. . .
The news is coming over the radio now and it is still good, thank God. I hope that the war is over soon so I can get home to you and won’t have to just wish I were with you. I love you darling with all my heart and soul, and all I can think of is when we will be together again. Until then I will just exist, and will start living again when I take you in my arms once more. I love you so much that at times it is almost unbearable that we have to be apart. Goodnight darling, I love you with every last part of me. All my love and kisses, Glenn
26 September ‘43 Sunday Hi darling;
Here it is Sunday again and I’m resting up from all the walking I’ve done today. I got up bright and early at 11:30 and after brunch headed out for a little sight seeing. I took along George’s camera and took what I hope are 10 or so good pictures. There was a big parade and most of the pictures are of it.
I am waiting around for Bill Durrenberger to get off duty and then we are going to try to play ping pong or do something. I was supposed to be on duty today, but I traded with him so he could go on a trip a couple of weeks ago. . .
Later. We went down to the Nurses Club to play some ping pong, but the table was down for a dance this evening. There was a Lt. playing the piano and he really could swing out on some of the tunes. We gathered around to listen and sing, and pretty soon we had a good crowd there. We sang for a couple of hours, then went up to the mess and had supper. . .
It is getting cold out these days. I hate the thought of having to start wearing heavy clothes and an overcoat, but soon I’m going to have to in order keep warm. . .
I sure enjoyed my bridge game last night - I’ll have to go down there again some time and play some more. Shall we drop into the Delta Zeta (Betty’s sorority) house and see if we can scrape up a bridge game?. . .
3 October ‘43 Sunday My darling wife;
I’ve just had a very pleasant day. Want to go back to the beginning and go through it with me? All right, here we go...... I awake with a start and look at my watch. 11 o’clock. That’s funny, I set the alarm for 10:30 so I would have time to take a bath, go get my rations, and then meet Steve at the mess at noon. So I look at the alarm and either I shut it off in my sleep, or I forgot to pull out the little button last night; probably the latter. Anyway I get up and wash my teeth and shave and then take a quick bath and dress. By the time I’m dressed and all ready to go it is twelve. Being Sunday I have on my old blouse and pinks and a pair of freshly shined shoes.
It is ten after twelve before I get to the mess, but no Steve. I wait around a while and then go upstairs to eat. George and Major Keck are sitting there reading their papers and waiting for something to eat. They inform me that Steve got up late and had gone to mass, so I sit down to eat too. The meal is roast beef, a little heavy for breakfast, and the Brussels sprouts are cold, and I don’t feel like having my dessert - too full. About half way through the meal, Saint comes in & tells me again that Steve is at mass and will meet me at 12:50 in front of the mess. Saint, Bill D, and Tom are doing something together, and George and Major Keck are taking a little sight seeing trip today. I meander downstairs and wait for Steve. I tell him I’ll go get my rations while he eats and then meet him at the office.
I get my candy and cigarette rations at the PX and also three pair of dark wool socks and take them all to my apartment. I sling my (George’s) camera over my shoulder and go to meet Steve. When I get to the office he is there and also Saint, Tom, Durrenberger, Sgt. Goss, and a few others. No mail for me, darn it. We all go up on the roof & since about everybody has their camera with them we take turns taking pictures of each other.
Steve and I have to leave to get to the concert on time, so we go off and leave the others up there. We catch a bus and go up on the upper deck so we can have a good view while we are riding. Pretty soon we come to the concert hall(Albert Hall). We go in and find our seats. It is a very pretty place inside. It looks very drab from the outside, but inside it is all decorated and all the seats are upholstered in a rich looking red and the boxes have curtains in the same color behind them . We have good seats, about on the same level as the orchestra and on the left side. The hall is enormous, and cup shaped. The program is very good; first there are three pieces (or should I say works) that I’ve never heard of, but they are very good. Then they play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor. Next and last is Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor. I really enjoy the program, and Steve does too.
It is getting toward supper time when we get out so we walk up through the park to the mess. We have hamburger steak and after a liberal dose of ketchup it tastes like something (ketchup). After supper we go to the show and see “Kings Row”, which I like a lot. After the show we go home, and that brings me up to the present where I am in bed and writing to the one I love. Now, did you have a good time along with me, or am I boring you with my imitation of Damon Runyan’s style of writing in the present tense?
How I wish you could have been here and actually come along with me today, darling. I know you would have liked the concert and the show too. And it would be so nice to have you here beside me instead of being with me in my heart only. I’ll close for now, and see you in my dreams. I love you. Goodnight darling. All my love and kisses, Glenn
7 October ‘43 Thursday My dearest;
I started a letter to you earlier today, but only got a couple of lines written so I thought I’d get a fresh start now. I had a nice time tonight; after supper I went down to the Nurses Club to play some ping pong but the table was crowded. I waited around for a while and finally got to play several games. Later there was a dance, and I danced some. They had a floor show (or cabaret, as they call it here). There was a private who was master of ceremonies and he told some jokes and did some “magic” and finally did a fire eating act. He was really good, although some of the jokes he told were pretty raw. The fire eating act was a professional job. There was some more to the show too; another soldier played the piano - some real boogie woogie, a chaplain sang some songs, and a woman sang too. I don’t think the woman was part of the company because she was dressed in a formal and her choice of songs didn’t fit into the rest of the show. She was good, tho. She sang “My Hero” from the Chocolate Soldier and several other songs. . .
I’m kind of hungry now, how about fixing me up a sandwich and a glass of milk? I haven’t had a glass of milk here yet. All the milk we get is of the powdered variety. It is fine for cereals and coffee and so on, but I don’t care for it alone; of course it isn’t offered on the menu either.
I’m going to have a little trouble with traffic when I get back to the States. I look right every time now before crossing a street and it almost seems natural seeing the cars driving on the left side of the street. . . All my love & kisses, Glenn
8 October ‘43 Friday Darling;
. . . . . The Red Cross has some shopping service here that sounds pretty good; they are supposed to get Christmas presents for us without all the taxes and coupons. They hadn’t gotten all the red tape out yesterday, but I think that they will soon. So maybe I’ll be able to get you some little thing of British make. It will probably have “made in USA” on it somewhere, but maybe not. Anyway, it will be nice to pick out something for you myself.
I thought I could write a letter to you here in the evening uninterrupted, but I was mistaken, I’ve been interrupted several times so far, once by Col. Reed. He came in (as he seems to every time I’m writing to you) and wanted to see me about something. Of course I told him he would have to make an appointment to see me because I was very busy at the time (of course!). Another interruption was by the sirens (you know, Woooooooooooooooo, rising and falling). I suppose you read in the papers about the raid. Lots of nice fireworks and searchlights and so on. The worst thing about them I think is the eerie sound of the sirens; I think they were designed to instill fear rather than as a warning.
As I was walking home last night I was behind a couple, and the gal was really giving the fellow “what for” about something. I was just about ready to referee a fight when they turned up a street that was out of my way. I was tempted to follow them some more and find out if the fellow ever did get a word in (edgewise) but I didn’t. Tsk, tsk, what language that gal did throw at him. Don’t you ever treat me that way!
I didn’t get any mail today, maybe I’ll get a whole fistful tomorrow. It has been almost three weeks since you mailed the last letter that I got; that was yours of Sept. 19th, and it arrived yesterday. I really enjoy the clippings and cartoons you include in the letters; I show them to all the fellows, and they enjoy them too. How do you like the cartoons by Winant? One of his I sent to you the other day was particularly good, the one where the officer is looking in his desk and saying “that’s odd, I had a quart of rye here yesterday”. Notice the charwoman in the chandelier. George has often threatened to fill his liquor bottle full of poison and kill off a few maids. . .
. . . . . I suppose that I should clean up my GI clodhoppers tonight too, so I can wear them tomorrow; they are still weighted down with several pounds of good English soil from the last time I made an excursion into the countryside. The “fog” was a little heavy that day.
I miss you a lot, honey. It seems like years since I’ve seen you and held you close to me and kissed you. Something in me just isn’t alive when I’m away from you. About the only kick that I get out of doing anything is that I’ll be able to tell you about it in my letters. . .
(The air raid sirens did sound eerie. By time I arrived in London the major German air raids had dwindled and the attacks were sporadic and not heavy. We would often don our steel helmets and go up on the roof to watch the fireworks and searchlights. Very seldom did I mention anything about air raids in my letters; one exception was the above letter of Oct. 8th)
9 October ‘43 Saturday Darling;
Guess what, I got your letter of Sept. 28th this afternoon, Isn’t that amazing! Only ten days from the time it was mailed. It must have really come by air mail. I also got one from Norene mailed the same day; I guess Freer is pulling my trick, and making Norene do all the letter writing for the family.
Steve and I took a jaunt in the country today with a major, we just now got back. It was a pretty nice day, and it was good to get out of town. We had a little car trouble and the thing refused to move when we were 10 miles from our destination. We thought we were stranded, but a Brigadier that was going to the same place came along and gave us a ride the rest of the way. We phoned, and they sent another car for our return trip. When it was time to leave the car hadn’t arrived, so Steve stayed there and the major and I went back to where the other car had been left. The new car had been there and gone on. We were near a British camp and they invited us in and gave us a cup of tea while we waited for the car to show up. Pretty soon it came and we got back here without further incidents. Guess we did our share of hitch hiking for the day.
Later. . . . . . . . . Bill D and I went down and played several games of ping pong before supper. They were good games and we played about even. He has improved a lot lately and I have a hard time beating him now. . .
Steve and I took along some Army “K” rations for lunch today. They are packed in a box that resembles a crackerjack box, only is larger. They were very good, but I suppose a steady diet of them would get tiresome since there are only three variations. They are handy to take along on these trips where you aren’t always near somewhere you can get food. . .
Darling, there is nothing I would like better than to have you here. If you could get that job and come over it would be swell, but (darn it) there are two good reasons why you shouldn’t come. First and most important is the fact that I might not be here when you’d arrive. I might be here until the end of the war (plus six months), and then again I have no assurance of that. You know how the army is in that way, then where would you be if you got here and I’d gone somewhere else? Secondly the living conditions for civilians aren’t so hot here with rationing and so on. Things are scarce and living conditions nothing at all like we are used to in the States. We get good food in the army mess, but elsewhere it isn’t so hot. There still are occasional air raids, you know. Dammit, it is hard to try to use reason when all the time I keep thinking of how perfect it would be to see you again soon. However, I don’t think it would be a wise move.
Well, darling, I think I’ll go to sleep about now; it is 9:30 already. Will you turn off the light and put your head here on my shoulder? Goodnight, darling, I miss you so much and think of you all the time. I love you. All my love and kisses, Glenn
15 October ‘43 Friday Darling;
. . . . . I took the British major out to lunch at our mess today and then we went to a meeting together. He works on the same kind of equipment that I do. He is a short and thin fellow, red haired, and very nervous. He seems very nice, but I hope I don’t get as nervous as he when I’ve been working at this stuff as long as he has. I know I won’t, because I don’t let anything bother me anymore. . .
The meeting lasted until supper time, so I went directly to the Nurses Club, and sure enough the boys were already there. There were three of them so we played doubles for about an hour. George and I played against Tom and Steve. . .
. . . . . I find that I can do a lot more work here in the evening than during the day because it is much quieter. And then days like today when I’m away most of the day, the evening is about the only time I have for writing reports. I just finished one report and will head for home when I finish this letter.
Darling, I miss you more than I can say. It seems like forever since I’ve seen you and held you close. I think of you all the time, and want you with me. If the war news keeps getting better, maybe I’ll be able to get home by or before next summer. I figure that is the earliest we can hope for, and I am sure hoping! Goodnight darling. I love you. All my love & kisses, Glenn
(I wasn’t very good as a seer; it was more than a year and a half beyond the following summer before I was able to get home. It was more wishful thinking than anything, but the news from the north Africa campaign was reassuring.)
17 October ‘43 Sunday My dearest Betty;
How are you tonight, darling? Did you have a nice Sunday, or should I say are you having a nice Sunday? I actually got up in time for breakfast this morning, which is a record for me. Had real eggs too, you know, the old fashioned kind that come in shells instead of all powdered up. I guess the rumor about oranges for breakfast was just a rumor ‘cause I didn’t see any. . .
I met George at breakfast, and we spent the rest of the day together. We went to church this morning (now don’t faint). It was a very pretty place with some very fancy architecture and stained glass windows. In the afternoon we saw an ATS (corresponding to WAC) parade and took some pictures of it. We also saw the Queen drive by; I didn’t have my camera ready, darn it, or I could have gotten a picture of her.
We then started out on a pretty extended tour of sightseeing. We saw Westminster Abby and the Houses of Parliament, and also Big Ben, which is at one end of the Houses of P. Then we walked east along the Victoria Embankment of the Thames all the way to the Tower of London Bridge. That was about a four or five mile hike, so I’m pretty tired tonight. We saw St. Paul’s Church and London Bridge and the Tower of London, and then walked over the Tower Bridge.
We got to talking with a couple of Bobbies (cops), and strolled along with them most of the way. It was very interesting because they were continually pointing out places of interest to us that we wouldn’t normally have noticed. They seemed to know the history of every building we passed. The Tower of London was very interesting to see; I had always pictured it in my mind as just a tower, as the name implies, but actually it is an old castle, with moat around it. It wasn’t open for tour at the time we got there, but I’d like to go back some time when it is open and go through it. The Tower Bridge was impressive, but the London Bridge wasn’t unusual at all; the old one was removed, and the present one built around 1925.
So much for the rubbernecking; after all the walking I did today I’m pretty tired, I need to get more exercise to keep in shape. I came home early and took a hot bath, and am now in bed. George and I wanted to go to a show tonight, but nothing good was playing, so we decided to get to bed early instead.
. . . . . It was about a year ago that we started out on our transcontinental trip to join the army, wasn’t it? A lot has happened between then and now; it doesn’t seem possible that we could cram so much into one year, does it? I think that the best part was the time we spent in Philadelphia, don’t you? We had a lot of fun there; we didn’t do very much, but I liked being able to spend so much time with you.
It sure is lonely here without you to come home to every night. I’ve gotten so that now I never see this apartment from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. At first I had a guilty feeling when I didn’t come home right after work, as if I was keeping you waiting with supper, but I’ve gradually gotten over that. It won’t take me long to get back in that routine when I get back to you, tho. Darling, I miss you so much, I love you and think of you all the time. We may be a few thousand miles apart, but you are here with me in my heart at all times. Goodnight darling, I love you. All my love and kisses, Glenn
19 October ‘43 Tuesday My darling;
This was quite a day for me honey. I’m finally home and in bed. I just had a hot bath and am about ready to go to sleep, in fact I’ll be doing that as soon as I finish this letter.
The old alarm went off at 6 AM this morning. I shaved and dressed and met Capt. Durrenberger in front of his hotel. We just barely made the train by running for it - it pulled out a minute after we got aboard. I didn’t have time for any breakfast, but ate a couple of chocolate bars and some cookies to keep me going until noon.
It was very pretty in the country today. The leaves on the trees are turning color now and are about half colored and half green like they were in Maryland at this time last year when we first arrived there. I suppose it won’t be long now before all the leaves are off the trees. The fields were still pretty green; with all this rain I don’t see how they could be any other color. One thing that strikes me here is the way they stack their hay; very neatly so that it looks like a bran muffin, but about the size of a house. You see those stacks everywhere you go. The (third class) trains are just like you’ve seen in the movies, with the doors all along the sides opening into the separate compartments. The trains don’t have conductors that collect the tickets, instead they are collected as you leave the station.
I didn’t get a new crystal for my watch as I had hoped. It seems all the “visiting firemen” who come there have the same idea and they had to clamp down on fixing personal watches. Guess I’ll have to find some place in London that can get a new crystal for me, I’m lost without a watch. (This trip must have been to the large Ordnance Depot on the plains near Salisbury, where among many other things, they had an instrument repair shop)
. . . . . What are the new songs that are popular there now? It really takes a long time for them to get over here. Among the latest here are “Whispering Grass” and “Johnny Got a Zero”. The British pronounce the letter “z” as zed, so we rib them by singing it Johnny got a zed-ro. Bill D was telling me that his gal had written telling him the tune that was No. 1 on the hit parade and he had never heard the tune - & couldn’t remember the name of it.
Every once in a while we catch each other using British terms or pronunciation, and when we do, we say “You’ve been here too long”. The correct come back is “No, I haven’t been here too long -- how about a spot of tea, old chap”. I find it hard not to pick up a lot of their terms and so on, especially since we deal with them so much. . .
23 October ‘43 Saturday Darling;
. . . . . Steve came along and we went to check our train reservations. They are OK going, but we have to check at the other end for return reservations. I am now on the train and waiting for it to pull out, which it won’t do for about a half hour. Maybe by that time I can finish this. The accommodations I have are really OK. They are first class - I have a compartment all to myself, and it is filled with glass and chrome gadgets. The wall about half way up is in a dark stained finish; the rest is in white. I have a wash basin, and this little table that pulls down from the wall that I am writing on now. I am sitting on the bed and it feels pretty soft. It is perpendicular to the track.
Major Keck & a British major who is going with us, or rather is taking us down, are in the next compartments. Steve, who did the arranging for reservations wasn’t able to get a compartment for himself, so he is back a little farther in a first class coach. . .
I may have to wait until Tuesday morning to mail this; we can’t mail them in British Post Offices. I wish you were going along with me tonight. We’d be a little crowded in this bed, but I think we could manage - I know we could, it would be like our trip to Chicago.
The train has started now, so my writing probably won’t improve any. We are taking advantage of a business trip to have a little vacation tomorrow. As Col. Reed put it, we can’t help it if they don’t work on Sundays. Once we are down there (Cornwall) we’ll just have to spend the day enjoying ourselves. . .
25 October ‘43 Monday Night My darling;
I’ll have to make this letter do for two, or else write it in two sections, ‘cause I didn’t get time to write yesterday at all. We were on the go all day, then when we got back to the hotel in the evening the four of us gathered in the room Steve and I shared and talked - they were still talking when I went to sleep. I am on the train again and this time it is already moving, so I’m writing under a handicap. Bear with me, and I’ll try to make it as legible as I can.
I had a pretty good night’s sleep Saturday, much better than Steve did, I’m afraid, but then he can collect three dollars for that night since the army didn’t furnish him quarters. Mine were furnished since I was traveling on a warrant (what we called a TR -Travel Request - at home). It was very pretty country we were traveling through with lots of rolling green hills and fields all divided by fences built of rocks, vine covered so that they look more like hedges than fences.
We arrived at Camborne, in Cornwall, slightly before noon and walked to the hotel where we had reservations. It is the Tyacks Hotel and is a combined hotel and Pub. Camborne is a small town and typical, I think, of rural towns, at least in that district. We unloaded our stuff and then Steve decided to go to Church. We had a glass of beer, then went up to a church, but the only service of the day was already over. At least our intentions were good. We wandered around the town and took some pictures.
We had planned to go right over to St. Ives but found the first bus didn’t leave for a couple of hours, so we had lunch at our hotel, and then caught the bus. It was one of those double deck affairs that seem to be used all over England. How they keep from tipping over on some of these streets I’ll never know, but even tho it seems like they lean at 40 degrees going around some curves, they don’t tip over. The majors (Keck & Pyne) had inquired about the bus service to St. Ives and were told the bus we took would go to another town and another bus would be waiting to change to. The way it turned out, the connecting bus came along an hour later. When we found that out we decided to start walking since it was only about four miles farther on to St. Ives. That turned out to be not such a good idea because after we had walked a half mile, we had a bit of what we would call a “heavy dew” in California. We had raincoats and took what shelter we could until it blew over but we got a little wet. We walked for about two miles in all, and then waited for the bus.
St. Ives is quite a famous little resort town, sometimes called the “Riviera of England” I am told. It is almost at the extreme southwest tip of England and has better weather than most of the island. There is a little harbor, and then the town is built up from it into the hills that rise steeply behind it. It reminded me a little of Avallon on Catalina, except that the buildings aren’t anything like Avallon. They are all very old and the streets are very narrow and made of cobblestone and wander about without any apparent rhyme or reason. We had tea at the “Copper Kettle” a little place on the front. It was very picturesque and they served very good tea, biscuits, and cakes. It really tasted good after walking and being out in the rain.
This train is really jumping around, as you can see from my writing. I think I’ll leave off here and get to sleep; I’ll continue the story tomorrow. Goodnight my darling. I love you!! All my love and kisses, Glenn
26 October ‘43 Tuesday noon My darling;
I’ll continue from where I had to leave off last night due to the train jerking around too much. I was telling you about St. Ives. . .
Steve, Major Keck, Major Pyne, and I spent several hours just wandering around and looking at St. Ives. It is an artists’ colony as well as a resort town and there were a lot of studios with signs outside advertising paintings. All along the waterfront there are lots of tea houses and restaurants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Above and to the center of St. Ives there are quite a few hotels, but most of them were closed. The whole town was pretty well closed up for Sunday, so we couldn’t get any supper. We were prepared for that and had some sandwiches in our pockets, so we didn’t get hungry.
We caught a bus back to Camborne about the time it got dark. This time the connection was good and as we got off the first bus, the other one was coming up the street. We got back to the hotel and had a pint of “bitters” (ale) each, went up to Steve’s and my room and ate some more sandwiches. I was tired and sleepy so I climbed into bed and it wasn’t long before I went to sleep in spite of the conversation flying thick and fast.
I got a good night’s sleep and awoke at eight Monday morning. We had breakfast and then went about the business we had come for. We had supper at the hotel; cold beef and chips. It was cool before supper so we sat in front of a fire and had a pint of bitters. The hotel bill for one night lodging and three meals was only 14 shillings ($2.80), so you can see it wasn’t a swanky place, it was just an old pub and hotel, but it was an interesting experience staying there.
Maj. Keck and I left that evening and were lucky enough to have reservations for the good sleeping compartments on the way back. I sure wish you could have been along with me on that trip, darling. I know you would have enjoyed it, and I would have enjoyed it more if you were with me. I hope I have sort of taken you along with me by means of my letters. . .
30 October ‘43 Saturday Night My dearest Betty
. . . . . We went back to the mess and talked for a while and I was shown the game of “shove ha-penny’. A small metal disc about the size of a ha-penny (half penny) is shoved by hitting it with the palm of your hand to make it land between certain lines ruled on a board. Sort of a miniature shuffle board game and not much to it, but a game played mostly in pubs.
We went on to the Sergeants mess where there was a dance going on. This is a combination British and American camp and there were both British and American officers and sergeants at the dance. There were some ATS (women) sergeants and some girls from a neighboring town. A small four piece British service band was playing, sax, drums, piano, and violin. They had two bars and a long table loaded with cakes and donuts. An English sergeant tried to convince me they were “rings” and not donuts, but I remain unconvinced. . .
A game of “darts” was under way. I watched it for a while, and then finally played a couple of games. It is another favorite “pub” game. There is a circular target divided by radial lines that you throw darts at. There is a very narrow outer ring that you have to get a dart into before you start scoring. After you get a dart in the narrow ring, you throw, and the radial section the dart lands in is numbered, and you score whatever number that is. That goes on until near the end of the game, then you again have to land in the narrow ring, but this time you also have to land it in the certain radial section that will give you the correct amount to go out with an even score. It isn’t very complicated even tho this description may make it sound so.
I danced a little although I didn’t do very well since I was wearing my G.I. boots. They just weren’t made for dancing! I was wearing my wool longies too, and they made dancing a little warm. It was a lot of fun even tho I wasn’t prepared for a dance.
Well darling, I’d better get to sleep now. It’ll probably be a long day for me tomorrow. I miss you so much darling. Goodnight now, I love you. All my love and kisses, Glenn
4 November ‘43 Thursday My darling;
Seems to me I remember the 4th for some reason, I wonder what it could be? Oh yes, it is our 16th anniversary, isn’t it. Soon we’ll have to start counting them in years instead of months, but that can wait, can’t it? It has been a swell 16 months, the best I’ve known. Even these last months that we’ve been apart have been that much better for knowing that I have you to go back to. I didn’t think at the time I married you that I could ever love you more than I did then, but I do now. That year we had together added something to my life - the knowledge of the complete happiness that comes just from being with you all the time. I don’t think I fully realized that until I was away from you and found how much I miss you and how lonely I get for you. I love you darling, and exist only for the time when we can be together again. . .
Durrenberger and I went down to the Red Cross after work this afternoon for some ping pong. There were a couple of nurses playing when we got there, so we had to wait a while before they decided to give the table up. Boy, they were a couple of beef trusts if I’ve ever seen any; the floor fairly shook under them. Bill and I were only able to get in three games after they left ‘cause some others came in and were waiting to play. They were good games tho.
We ate down there this evening. It was a very good meal tonight, they had some potatoes that tasted like they had been roasted and were very good. Mostly we get our potatoes boiled or occasionally mashed. The English haven’t any imagination when it comes to cooking vegetables. Cabbage is a very common vegetable here, and with all the ways there are to cook it so it is edible they invariably boil it to death and then serve it half cold. . . .
7 November ‘43 Sunday Dearest;
. . . . . After breakfast we hurried to the train station and just caught the train with two minutes to spare. This friend of Steve’s met us at the other end with his two sons. We got on another train and went about four miles farther on. It was a beautiful day, but quite cold. There was a high and steep hill and we climbed to the top; it was just as steep as the climb to the big “C”. I found out in a hurry that I was out of condition! The view was very pretty, the whole valley spread below us and ever so often you’d see a small village with it’s church steeple rising above the rest of the houses, and all the little green fields orderly partitioned off by hedges or fences. Practically all the leaves have turned color and most of them have fallen, but the fields are still nice and green.
We walked back the four miles to the house. The streets all had high hedges along them so it was hard to see much of what was behind them. We stopped at a pub and had a beer, ginger beers for the kids. A lot of the way we walked back was cross country, over fields, with stiles to cross the fences. I wish you could have been along with us today. The country is very beautiful and I know you would enjoy seeing it, and I can’t fully enjoy it when I’m thinking how swell it would be walking there with you, holding your hand, or perhaps with my arm around you (bold, aren’t I?).
We got back to Mr. Day’s ( Steve’s friend’s) house just in time for dinner, and that walk had really worked up our appetites. Mrs. Day was very nice; she satisfied our appetites without an undue burden on her rations. We had Brussels sprouts, which seem to be the staple and mainstay food here, which were prepared in such a way that they were quite good, not the cooked out cold things we get at the mess. All they needed really was a little french dressing. I’m afraid you’ll have to give up the idea of ever feeding me Brussels sprouts, from all reports and indications I am scheduled to have them for every meal from now until next spring. They are on a par with spam as concerns the American soldier’s choice of food. Along with the sprouts we had pork that was nine tenths fat and some quarter fried potatoes. She served pie for dessert that was still hot and very tasty. The filling was a combination of raisins, orange marmalade, and I don’t know what else. Sounds a little weird, but it tasted very good, sort of like a minced meat pie.
The boys are 15 or 16, are twins and look very much alike, but not so much that you can’t tell them apart. If you fail to believe this I don’t blame you, but they were still wearing short pants! And you thought Philly was bad! They also have a girl 10 or 11 years old.
After we ate we moved into the living room for our coffee in front of the fireplace and talked for the rest of the afternoon. Most of the houses here have fireplaces (and no central heating) but they are usually very small things; this one had a good fire going and it gave out a lot of heat. All in all it was a very nice day, sort of like spending a Sunday at home, but with one important thing lacking; maybe YOU can guess what it was.
I’m on duty tonight, so I had to catch an early train back while Steve stayed for a while longer. I got back expecting to find a whole stack of letters from you, but there wasn’t even a little note. That makes a complete week with no letters now, confidentially this army postal service stinks! .
10 November ‘43 Wednesday My darling;
. . . . . We had a very nice drive through the English countryside. It was a beautiful day, and you can see so much more of the country when you are traveling by car than by train. I sat up in the front seat (along with with the WAC driver, but don’t get jealous ‘cause she wasn’t pretty and definitely wasn’t young) and navigated with the aid of a road map. I didn’t get us lost even once, and we arrived 15 minutes ahead of the time I had planned, so I was very proud of myself. This is the first time I’ve been on a trip with the Colonel (Reed) and I had made all the arrangements so I was very pleased that things went so smoothly and we spent a very nice day seeing the things that we wanted to see. . .
11 November ‘43 . . . . . . . . . It was another nice day, and we took our time coming back, looking the country over on the way. We went by a very pretty cathedral and stopped and looked at it. It was very old, having been built in the middle of the sixteenth century. We went in the church and it was very pretty inside; all the windows were stained glass and with the sun shining through them they really showed up nice. . . . .
12 November ‘43 Friday Darling;
. . . . . The Colonel’s secretary (Miss Devine) invited Saint, George, Steve, and me up to her place for supper tonight. She is very nice and is an American; she is divorced and has a boy six or eight who is living with friends in the States. The four of us bought her a bunch of flowers and that made a hit with her. I had the best meal I’ve had since I got here. She was using the same materials that the British use, but there was a world of difference in the results. We had fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and baked parsnips. I never did care much for parsnips, but even they were eatable. The fried pork chops weren’t greasy at all and were very good. The meal was topped off with a fresh baked home made apple pie; yum yum, it was good! Almost as good as one of your pies would taste to me now. I’m afraid I’ll be spoiled and not want to eat in the mess for a while. . .
I’m sort of blue this evening, dear, I haven’t had a letter from you for a week. I was sure that some would come today, but I was disappointed. I guess they are coming by boat instead of by air mail. And to make matters worse, it is just two months since I’ve seen you; that is, it is two months by the calendar, it has actually been much longer than that in my opinion.
I didn’t do much today, in fact I didn’t do anything except work and eat and think of you and bother the mail clerk every half hour or so looking for some mail. I can’t tell you about the work, and the food was nothing to write home about, I’ve already complained about the mail situation, I always think of you all the time, so that doesn’t leave me much to talk about this evening, does it. Maybe if I keep punching these keys something will come out. The way I’ve been hitting the wrong keys, It may not be legible, tho. . . .
. . . . . I’m on duty all night tonight, which is a happy thought. Of course, I can go to sleep after twelve, but I still won’t get as much rest as I would like to have. . .
I took some time off, and have been reading magazines for a while. There is a pretty good file of “Life” and “Time” here. I looked at the pictures in Life, and read through most of the latest Time. The edition of Time that comes over here is special in that it has all the advertisements left out, and just has the reading material (and pictures). The print is a lot smaller too, that way it can be sent as first class mail and doesn’t take so long to get here. A lot of the magazines are doing the same thing. . .
It has been chilly around here lately. I suppose it won’t be long before I’ll have to dig out the long underwear and overcoat. It really isn’t so cold, but the weather is so damp that it seems colder. It is a lot like Aberdeen was last year, although I don’t think it actually gets as cold here as it did in Aberdeen. Ah, to see good old California again! It’ll be a big job to get me away from there once I get back. . .
23 September ‘43 Thursday Hi Darling;
I wish you were here now dear; we are all in George and the major’s (the major and just over minor’s) room; Steve, Saint, George, Maj. Keck, Bill Durrenberger, and me. At the present time we are all reading our mail which arrived in droves after a dry week. We are also drinking wine and getting in a very good mood. George just told a story, but got it all mixed up, so Saint took over and told it.
I got three letters from you today, and one from Merv. Yours were of the 1st, 8th, & 9th. I also got one from Mom, so I really did alright. Merv’s letter was a scream as usual, only more so because he wasn’t as careful of his language as he was when he was writing to both of us. . .
You’re really the social butterfly these days, aren’t you. I’m glad that you are getting out so much, & I think as long as you are keeping busy that way, it would be better not to go to work. While it is nice to save money and all, money isn’t everything, and we ought to be able to save quite a bit on what I make. So long as you are happy and having a good time and are busy. It’s nice that you can have this time with your mother too, because she always worked so much, and if you were working it would be just about as bad. I’ll expect you to be an experienced cook when I get back, with all the practice you’ll get & what your mother can teach you. Don’t start throwing things now, I didn’t say your cooking was no good; I would give anything to be eating some of it now, and then would even be glad to wash, no, dry the dishes afterwards.
Saint is writing a letter to Maj. Keck’s wife now, and is doing his darndest to get the major in bad. He started out by saying we were gathered to celebrate the unusual occasion of the Maj. being sober for two days running. I’m glad he doesn’t know you, or he might give you the wrong impression about me. . .
This is a swell bunch of fellows here; I’ve said that many times, I know, but I really mean it. I don’t know when I’ve been with a better bunch; they are all half crazy and/or slap happy, which helps a lot.
Col. Reed’s secretary (male) just came in & the party is just about complete. The Col. has three secretaries, who we also use when we need them, and there are a couple others floating about the office. The male secretary, John, and two of the others are American. . .
I really enjoy these sessions with the boys. George is trying his darndest to palm off his “Chelsea” cigarettes on us while we are in a happy mood, but isn’t having much luck; we would have to be pretty drunk to accept them. A while ago the cigarette ration was seven packs of good cigarettes and a carton of Chelsea a week; those cigs are on a par with spam in the jokes around here. . .
The news is coming over the radio now and it is still good, thank God. I hope that the war is over soon so I can get home to you and won’t have to just wish I were with you. I love you darling with all my heart and soul, and all I can think of is when we will be together again. Until then I will just exist, and will start living again when I take you in my arms once more. I love you so much that at times it is almost unbearable that we have to be apart. Goodnight darling, I love you with every last part of me. All my love and kisses, Glenn
26 September ‘43 Sunday Hi darling;
Here it is Sunday again and I’m resting up from all the walking I’ve done today. I got up bright and early at 11:30 and after brunch headed out for a little sight seeing. I took along George’s camera and took what I hope are 10 or so good pictures. There was a big parade and most of the pictures are of it.
I am waiting around for Bill Durrenberger to get off duty and then we are going to try to play ping pong or do something. I was supposed to be on duty today, but I traded with him so he could go on a trip a couple of weeks ago. . .
Later. We went down to the Nurses Club to play some ping pong, but the table was down for a dance this evening. There was a Lt. playing the piano and he really could swing out on some of the tunes. We gathered around to listen and sing, and pretty soon we had a good crowd there. We sang for a couple of hours, then went up to the mess and had supper. . .
It is getting cold out these days. I hate the thought of having to start wearing heavy clothes and an overcoat, but soon I’m going to have to in order keep warm. . .
I sure enjoyed my bridge game last night - I’ll have to go down there again some time and play some more. Shall we drop into the Delta Zeta (Betty’s sorority) house and see if we can scrape up a bridge game?. . .
3 October ‘43 Sunday My darling wife;
I’ve just had a very pleasant day. Want to go back to the beginning and go through it with me? All right, here we go...... I awake with a start and look at my watch. 11 o’clock. That’s funny, I set the alarm for 10:30 so I would have time to take a bath, go get my rations, and then meet Steve at the mess at noon. So I look at the alarm and either I shut it off in my sleep, or I forgot to pull out the little button last night; probably the latter. Anyway I get up and wash my teeth and shave and then take a quick bath and dress. By the time I’m dressed and all ready to go it is twelve. Being Sunday I have on my old blouse and pinks and a pair of freshly shined shoes.
It is ten after twelve before I get to the mess, but no Steve. I wait around a while and then go upstairs to eat. George and Major Keck are sitting there reading their papers and waiting for something to eat. They inform me that Steve got up late and had gone to mass, so I sit down to eat too. The meal is roast beef, a little heavy for breakfast, and the Brussels sprouts are cold, and I don’t feel like having my dessert - too full. About half way through the meal, Saint comes in & tells me again that Steve is at mass and will meet me at 12:50 in front of the mess. Saint, Bill D, and Tom are doing something together, and George and Major Keck are taking a little sight seeing trip today. I meander downstairs and wait for Steve. I tell him I’ll go get my rations while he eats and then meet him at the office.
I get my candy and cigarette rations at the PX and also three pair of dark wool socks and take them all to my apartment. I sling my (George’s) camera over my shoulder and go to meet Steve. When I get to the office he is there and also Saint, Tom, Durrenberger, Sgt. Goss, and a few others. No mail for me, darn it. We all go up on the roof & since about everybody has their camera with them we take turns taking pictures of each other.
Steve and I have to leave to get to the concert on time, so we go off and leave the others up there. We catch a bus and go up on the upper deck so we can have a good view while we are riding. Pretty soon we come to the concert hall(Albert Hall). We go in and find our seats. It is a very pretty place inside. It looks very drab from the outside, but inside it is all decorated and all the seats are upholstered in a rich looking red and the boxes have curtains in the same color behind them . We have good seats, about on the same level as the orchestra and on the left side. The hall is enormous, and cup shaped. The program is very good; first there are three pieces (or should I say works) that I’ve never heard of, but they are very good. Then they play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor. Next and last is Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor. I really enjoy the program, and Steve does too.
It is getting toward supper time when we get out so we walk up through the park to the mess. We have hamburger steak and after a liberal dose of ketchup it tastes like something (ketchup). After supper we go to the show and see “Kings Row”, which I like a lot. After the show we go home, and that brings me up to the present where I am in bed and writing to the one I love. Now, did you have a good time along with me, or am I boring you with my imitation of Damon Runyan’s style of writing in the present tense?
How I wish you could have been here and actually come along with me today, darling. I know you would have liked the concert and the show too. And it would be so nice to have you here beside me instead of being with me in my heart only. I’ll close for now, and see you in my dreams. I love you. Goodnight darling. All my love and kisses, Glenn
7 October ‘43 Thursday My dearest;
I started a letter to you earlier today, but only got a couple of lines written so I thought I’d get a fresh start now. I had a nice time tonight; after supper I went down to the Nurses Club to play some ping pong but the table was crowded. I waited around for a while and finally got to play several games. Later there was a dance, and I danced some. They had a floor show (or cabaret, as they call it here). There was a private who was master of ceremonies and he told some jokes and did some “magic” and finally did a fire eating act. He was really good, although some of the jokes he told were pretty raw. The fire eating act was a professional job. There was some more to the show too; another soldier played the piano - some real boogie woogie, a chaplain sang some songs, and a woman sang too. I don’t think the woman was part of the company because she was dressed in a formal and her choice of songs didn’t fit into the rest of the show. She was good, tho. She sang “My Hero” from the Chocolate Soldier and several other songs. . .
I’m kind of hungry now, how about fixing me up a sandwich and a glass of milk? I haven’t had a glass of milk here yet. All the milk we get is of the powdered variety. It is fine for cereals and coffee and so on, but I don’t care for it alone; of course it isn’t offered on the menu either.
I’m going to have a little trouble with traffic when I get back to the States. I look right every time now before crossing a street and it almost seems natural seeing the cars driving on the left side of the street. . . All my love & kisses, Glenn
8 October ‘43 Friday Darling;
. . . . . The Red Cross has some shopping service here that sounds pretty good; they are supposed to get Christmas presents for us without all the taxes and coupons. They hadn’t gotten all the red tape out yesterday, but I think that they will soon. So maybe I’ll be able to get you some little thing of British make. It will probably have “made in USA” on it somewhere, but maybe not. Anyway, it will be nice to pick out something for you myself.
I thought I could write a letter to you here in the evening uninterrupted, but I was mistaken, I’ve been interrupted several times so far, once by Col. Reed. He came in (as he seems to every time I’m writing to you) and wanted to see me about something. Of course I told him he would have to make an appointment to see me because I was very busy at the time (of course!). Another interruption was by the sirens (you know, Woooooooooooooooo, rising and falling). I suppose you read in the papers about the raid. Lots of nice fireworks and searchlights and so on. The worst thing about them I think is the eerie sound of the sirens; I think they were designed to instill fear rather than as a warning.
As I was walking home last night I was behind a couple, and the gal was really giving the fellow “what for” about something. I was just about ready to referee a fight when they turned up a street that was out of my way. I was tempted to follow them some more and find out if the fellow ever did get a word in (edgewise) but I didn’t. Tsk, tsk, what language that gal did throw at him. Don’t you ever treat me that way!
I didn’t get any mail today, maybe I’ll get a whole fistful tomorrow. It has been almost three weeks since you mailed the last letter that I got; that was yours of Sept. 19th, and it arrived yesterday. I really enjoy the clippings and cartoons you include in the letters; I show them to all the fellows, and they enjoy them too. How do you like the cartoons by Winant? One of his I sent to you the other day was particularly good, the one where the officer is looking in his desk and saying “that’s odd, I had a quart of rye here yesterday”. Notice the charwoman in the chandelier. George has often threatened to fill his liquor bottle full of poison and kill off a few maids. . .
. . . . . I suppose that I should clean up my GI clodhoppers tonight too, so I can wear them tomorrow; they are still weighted down with several pounds of good English soil from the last time I made an excursion into the countryside. The “fog” was a little heavy that day.
I miss you a lot, honey. It seems like years since I’ve seen you and held you close to me and kissed you. Something in me just isn’t alive when I’m away from you. About the only kick that I get out of doing anything is that I’ll be able to tell you about it in my letters. . .
(The air raid sirens did sound eerie. By time I arrived in London the major German air raids had dwindled and the attacks were sporadic and not heavy. We would often don our steel helmets and go up on the roof to watch the fireworks and searchlights. Very seldom did I mention anything about air raids in my letters; one exception was the above letter of Oct. 8th)
9 October ‘43 Saturday Darling;
Guess what, I got your letter of Sept. 28th this afternoon, Isn’t that amazing! Only ten days from the time it was mailed. It must have really come by air mail. I also got one from Norene mailed the same day; I guess Freer is pulling my trick, and making Norene do all the letter writing for the family.
Steve and I took a jaunt in the country today with a major, we just now got back. It was a pretty nice day, and it was good to get out of town. We had a little car trouble and the thing refused to move when we were 10 miles from our destination. We thought we were stranded, but a Brigadier that was going to the same place came along and gave us a ride the rest of the way. We phoned, and they sent another car for our return trip. When it was time to leave the car hadn’t arrived, so Steve stayed there and the major and I went back to where the other car had been left. The new car had been there and gone on. We were near a British camp and they invited us in and gave us a cup of tea while we waited for the car to show up. Pretty soon it came and we got back here without further incidents. Guess we did our share of hitch hiking for the day.
Later. . . . . . . . . Bill D and I went down and played several games of ping pong before supper. They were good games and we played about even. He has improved a lot lately and I have a hard time beating him now. . .
Steve and I took along some Army “K” rations for lunch today. They are packed in a box that resembles a crackerjack box, only is larger. They were very good, but I suppose a steady diet of them would get tiresome since there are only three variations. They are handy to take along on these trips where you aren’t always near somewhere you can get food. . .
Darling, there is nothing I would like better than to have you here. If you could get that job and come over it would be swell, but (darn it) there are two good reasons why you shouldn’t come. First and most important is the fact that I might not be here when you’d arrive. I might be here until the end of the war (plus six months), and then again I have no assurance of that. You know how the army is in that way, then where would you be if you got here and I’d gone somewhere else? Secondly the living conditions for civilians aren’t so hot here with rationing and so on. Things are scarce and living conditions nothing at all like we are used to in the States. We get good food in the army mess, but elsewhere it isn’t so hot. There still are occasional air raids, you know. Dammit, it is hard to try to use reason when all the time I keep thinking of how perfect it would be to see you again soon. However, I don’t think it would be a wise move.
Well, darling, I think I’ll go to sleep about now; it is 9:30 already. Will you turn off the light and put your head here on my shoulder? Goodnight, darling, I miss you so much and think of you all the time. I love you. All my love and kisses, Glenn
15 October ‘43 Friday Darling;
. . . . . I took the British major out to lunch at our mess today and then we went to a meeting together. He works on the same kind of equipment that I do. He is a short and thin fellow, red haired, and very nervous. He seems very nice, but I hope I don’t get as nervous as he when I’ve been working at this stuff as long as he has. I know I won’t, because I don’t let anything bother me anymore. . .
The meeting lasted until supper time, so I went directly to the Nurses Club, and sure enough the boys were already there. There were three of them so we played doubles for about an hour. George and I played against Tom and Steve. . .
. . . . . I find that I can do a lot more work here in the evening than during the day because it is much quieter. And then days like today when I’m away most of the day, the evening is about the only time I have for writing reports. I just finished one report and will head for home when I finish this letter.
Darling, I miss you more than I can say. It seems like forever since I’ve seen you and held you close. I think of you all the time, and want you with me. If the war news keeps getting better, maybe I’ll be able to get home by or before next summer. I figure that is the earliest we can hope for, and I am sure hoping! Goodnight darling. I love you. All my love & kisses, Glenn
(I wasn’t very good as a seer; it was more than a year and a half beyond the following summer before I was able to get home. It was more wishful thinking than anything, but the news from the north Africa campaign was reassuring.)
17 October ‘43 Sunday My dearest Betty;
How are you tonight, darling? Did you have a nice Sunday, or should I say are you having a nice Sunday? I actually got up in time for breakfast this morning, which is a record for me. Had real eggs too, you know, the old fashioned kind that come in shells instead of all powdered up. I guess the rumor about oranges for breakfast was just a rumor ‘cause I didn’t see any. . .
I met George at breakfast, and we spent the rest of the day together. We went to church this morning (now don’t faint). It was a very pretty place with some very fancy architecture and stained glass windows. In the afternoon we saw an ATS (corresponding to WAC) parade and took some pictures of it. We also saw the Queen drive by; I didn’t have my camera ready, darn it, or I could have gotten a picture of her.
We then started out on a pretty extended tour of sightseeing. We saw Westminster Abby and the Houses of Parliament, and also Big Ben, which is at one end of the Houses of P. Then we walked east along the Victoria Embankment of the Thames all the way to the Tower of London Bridge. That was about a four or five mile hike, so I’m pretty tired tonight. We saw St. Paul’s Church and London Bridge and the Tower of London, and then walked over the Tower Bridge.
We got to talking with a couple of Bobbies (cops), and strolled along with them most of the way. It was very interesting because they were continually pointing out places of interest to us that we wouldn’t normally have noticed. They seemed to know the history of every building we passed. The Tower of London was very interesting to see; I had always pictured it in my mind as just a tower, as the name implies, but actually it is an old castle, with moat around it. It wasn’t open for tour at the time we got there, but I’d like to go back some time when it is open and go through it. The Tower Bridge was impressive, but the London Bridge wasn’t unusual at all; the old one was removed, and the present one built around 1925.
So much for the rubbernecking; after all the walking I did today I’m pretty tired, I need to get more exercise to keep in shape. I came home early and took a hot bath, and am now in bed. George and I wanted to go to a show tonight, but nothing good was playing, so we decided to get to bed early instead.
. . . . . It was about a year ago that we started out on our transcontinental trip to join the army, wasn’t it? A lot has happened between then and now; it doesn’t seem possible that we could cram so much into one year, does it? I think that the best part was the time we spent in Philadelphia, don’t you? We had a lot of fun there; we didn’t do very much, but I liked being able to spend so much time with you.
It sure is lonely here without you to come home to every night. I’ve gotten so that now I never see this apartment from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. At first I had a guilty feeling when I didn’t come home right after work, as if I was keeping you waiting with supper, but I’ve gradually gotten over that. It won’t take me long to get back in that routine when I get back to you, tho. Darling, I miss you so much, I love you and think of you all the time. We may be a few thousand miles apart, but you are here with me in my heart at all times. Goodnight darling, I love you. All my love and kisses, Glenn
19 October ‘43 Tuesday My darling;
This was quite a day for me honey. I’m finally home and in bed. I just had a hot bath and am about ready to go to sleep, in fact I’ll be doing that as soon as I finish this letter.
The old alarm went off at 6 AM this morning. I shaved and dressed and met Capt. Durrenberger in front of his hotel. We just barely made the train by running for it - it pulled out a minute after we got aboard. I didn’t have time for any breakfast, but ate a couple of chocolate bars and some cookies to keep me going until noon.
It was very pretty in the country today. The leaves on the trees are turning color now and are about half colored and half green like they were in Maryland at this time last year when we first arrived there. I suppose it won’t be long now before all the leaves are off the trees. The fields were still pretty green; with all this rain I don’t see how they could be any other color. One thing that strikes me here is the way they stack their hay; very neatly so that it looks like a bran muffin, but about the size of a house. You see those stacks everywhere you go. The (third class) trains are just like you’ve seen in the movies, with the doors all along the sides opening into the separate compartments. The trains don’t have conductors that collect the tickets, instead they are collected as you leave the station.
I didn’t get a new crystal for my watch as I had hoped. It seems all the “visiting firemen” who come there have the same idea and they had to clamp down on fixing personal watches. Guess I’ll have to find some place in London that can get a new crystal for me, I’m lost without a watch. (This trip must have been to the large Ordnance Depot on the plains near Salisbury, where among many other things, they had an instrument repair shop)
. . . . . What are the new songs that are popular there now? It really takes a long time for them to get over here. Among the latest here are “Whispering Grass” and “Johnny Got a Zero”. The British pronounce the letter “z” as zed, so we rib them by singing it Johnny got a zed-ro. Bill D was telling me that his gal had written telling him the tune that was No. 1 on the hit parade and he had never heard the tune - & couldn’t remember the name of it.
Every once in a while we catch each other using British terms or pronunciation, and when we do, we say “You’ve been here too long”. The correct come back is “No, I haven’t been here too long -- how about a spot of tea, old chap”. I find it hard not to pick up a lot of their terms and so on, especially since we deal with them so much. . .
23 October ‘43 Saturday Darling;
. . . . . Steve came along and we went to check our train reservations. They are OK going, but we have to check at the other end for return reservations. I am now on the train and waiting for it to pull out, which it won’t do for about a half hour. Maybe by that time I can finish this. The accommodations I have are really OK. They are first class - I have a compartment all to myself, and it is filled with glass and chrome gadgets. The wall about half way up is in a dark stained finish; the rest is in white. I have a wash basin, and this little table that pulls down from the wall that I am writing on now. I am sitting on the bed and it feels pretty soft. It is perpendicular to the track.
Major Keck & a British major who is going with us, or rather is taking us down, are in the next compartments. Steve, who did the arranging for reservations wasn’t able to get a compartment for himself, so he is back a little farther in a first class coach. . .
I may have to wait until Tuesday morning to mail this; we can’t mail them in British Post Offices. I wish you were going along with me tonight. We’d be a little crowded in this bed, but I think we could manage - I know we could, it would be like our trip to Chicago.
The train has started now, so my writing probably won’t improve any. We are taking advantage of a business trip to have a little vacation tomorrow. As Col. Reed put it, we can’t help it if they don’t work on Sundays. Once we are down there (Cornwall) we’ll just have to spend the day enjoying ourselves. . .
25 October ‘43 Monday Night My darling;
I’ll have to make this letter do for two, or else write it in two sections, ‘cause I didn’t get time to write yesterday at all. We were on the go all day, then when we got back to the hotel in the evening the four of us gathered in the room Steve and I shared and talked - they were still talking when I went to sleep. I am on the train again and this time it is already moving, so I’m writing under a handicap. Bear with me, and I’ll try to make it as legible as I can.
I had a pretty good night’s sleep Saturday, much better than Steve did, I’m afraid, but then he can collect three dollars for that night since the army didn’t furnish him quarters. Mine were furnished since I was traveling on a warrant (what we called a TR -Travel Request - at home). It was very pretty country we were traveling through with lots of rolling green hills and fields all divided by fences built of rocks, vine covered so that they look more like hedges than fences.
We arrived at Camborne, in Cornwall, slightly before noon and walked to the hotel where we had reservations. It is the Tyacks Hotel and is a combined hotel and Pub. Camborne is a small town and typical, I think, of rural towns, at least in that district. We unloaded our stuff and then Steve decided to go to Church. We had a glass of beer, then went up to a church, but the only service of the day was already over. At least our intentions were good. We wandered around the town and took some pictures.
We had planned to go right over to St. Ives but found the first bus didn’t leave for a couple of hours, so we had lunch at our hotel, and then caught the bus. It was one of those double deck affairs that seem to be used all over England. How they keep from tipping over on some of these streets I’ll never know, but even tho it seems like they lean at 40 degrees going around some curves, they don’t tip over. The majors (Keck & Pyne) had inquired about the bus service to St. Ives and were told the bus we took would go to another town and another bus would be waiting to change to. The way it turned out, the connecting bus came along an hour later. When we found that out we decided to start walking since it was only about four miles farther on to St. Ives. That turned out to be not such a good idea because after we had walked a half mile, we had a bit of what we would call a “heavy dew” in California. We had raincoats and took what shelter we could until it blew over but we got a little wet. We walked for about two miles in all, and then waited for the bus.
St. Ives is quite a famous little resort town, sometimes called the “Riviera of England” I am told. It is almost at the extreme southwest tip of England and has better weather than most of the island. There is a little harbor, and then the town is built up from it into the hills that rise steeply behind it. It reminded me a little of Avallon on Catalina, except that the buildings aren’t anything like Avallon. They are all very old and the streets are very narrow and made of cobblestone and wander about without any apparent rhyme or reason. We had tea at the “Copper Kettle” a little place on the front. It was very picturesque and they served very good tea, biscuits, and cakes. It really tasted good after walking and being out in the rain.
This train is really jumping around, as you can see from my writing. I think I’ll leave off here and get to sleep; I’ll continue the story tomorrow. Goodnight my darling. I love you!! All my love and kisses, Glenn
26 October ‘43 Tuesday noon My darling;
I’ll continue from where I had to leave off last night due to the train jerking around too much. I was telling you about St. Ives. . .
Steve, Major Keck, Major Pyne, and I spent several hours just wandering around and looking at St. Ives. It is an artists’ colony as well as a resort town and there were a lot of studios with signs outside advertising paintings. All along the waterfront there are lots of tea houses and restaurants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Above and to the center of St. Ives there are quite a few hotels, but most of them were closed. The whole town was pretty well closed up for Sunday, so we couldn’t get any supper. We were prepared for that and had some sandwiches in our pockets, so we didn’t get hungry.
We caught a bus back to Camborne about the time it got dark. This time the connection was good and as we got off the first bus, the other one was coming up the street. We got back to the hotel and had a pint of “bitters” (ale) each, went up to Steve’s and my room and ate some more sandwiches. I was tired and sleepy so I climbed into bed and it wasn’t long before I went to sleep in spite of the conversation flying thick and fast.
I got a good night’s sleep and awoke at eight Monday morning. We had breakfast and then went about the business we had come for. We had supper at the hotel; cold beef and chips. It was cool before supper so we sat in front of a fire and had a pint of bitters. The hotel bill for one night lodging and three meals was only 14 shillings ($2.80), so you can see it wasn’t a swanky place, it was just an old pub and hotel, but it was an interesting experience staying there.
Maj. Keck and I left that evening and were lucky enough to have reservations for the good sleeping compartments on the way back. I sure wish you could have been along with me on that trip, darling. I know you would have enjoyed it, and I would have enjoyed it more if you were with me. I hope I have sort of taken you along with me by means of my letters. . .
30 October ‘43 Saturday Night My dearest Betty
. . . . . We went back to the mess and talked for a while and I was shown the game of “shove ha-penny’. A small metal disc about the size of a ha-penny (half penny) is shoved by hitting it with the palm of your hand to make it land between certain lines ruled on a board. Sort of a miniature shuffle board game and not much to it, but a game played mostly in pubs.
We went on to the Sergeants mess where there was a dance going on. This is a combination British and American camp and there were both British and American officers and sergeants at the dance. There were some ATS (women) sergeants and some girls from a neighboring town. A small four piece British service band was playing, sax, drums, piano, and violin. They had two bars and a long table loaded with cakes and donuts. An English sergeant tried to convince me they were “rings” and not donuts, but I remain unconvinced. . .
A game of “darts” was under way. I watched it for a while, and then finally played a couple of games. It is another favorite “pub” game. There is a circular target divided by radial lines that you throw darts at. There is a very narrow outer ring that you have to get a dart into before you start scoring. After you get a dart in the narrow ring, you throw, and the radial section the dart lands in is numbered, and you score whatever number that is. That goes on until near the end of the game, then you again have to land in the narrow ring, but this time you also have to land it in the certain radial section that will give you the correct amount to go out with an even score. It isn’t very complicated even tho this description may make it sound so.
I danced a little although I didn’t do very well since I was wearing my G.I. boots. They just weren’t made for dancing! I was wearing my wool longies too, and they made dancing a little warm. It was a lot of fun even tho I wasn’t prepared for a dance.
Well darling, I’d better get to sleep now. It’ll probably be a long day for me tomorrow. I miss you so much darling. Goodnight now, I love you. All my love and kisses, Glenn
4 November ‘43 Thursday My darling;
Seems to me I remember the 4th for some reason, I wonder what it could be? Oh yes, it is our 16th anniversary, isn’t it. Soon we’ll have to start counting them in years instead of months, but that can wait, can’t it? It has been a swell 16 months, the best I’ve known. Even these last months that we’ve been apart have been that much better for knowing that I have you to go back to. I didn’t think at the time I married you that I could ever love you more than I did then, but I do now. That year we had together added something to my life - the knowledge of the complete happiness that comes just from being with you all the time. I don’t think I fully realized that until I was away from you and found how much I miss you and how lonely I get for you. I love you darling, and exist only for the time when we can be together again. . .
Durrenberger and I went down to the Red Cross after work this afternoon for some ping pong. There were a couple of nurses playing when we got there, so we had to wait a while before they decided to give the table up. Boy, they were a couple of beef trusts if I’ve ever seen any; the floor fairly shook under them. Bill and I were only able to get in three games after they left ‘cause some others came in and were waiting to play. They were good games tho.
We ate down there this evening. It was a very good meal tonight, they had some potatoes that tasted like they had been roasted and were very good. Mostly we get our potatoes boiled or occasionally mashed. The English haven’t any imagination when it comes to cooking vegetables. Cabbage is a very common vegetable here, and with all the ways there are to cook it so it is edible they invariably boil it to death and then serve it half cold. . . .
7 November ‘43 Sunday Dearest;
. . . . . After breakfast we hurried to the train station and just caught the train with two minutes to spare. This friend of Steve’s met us at the other end with his two sons. We got on another train and went about four miles farther on. It was a beautiful day, but quite cold. There was a high and steep hill and we climbed to the top; it was just as steep as the climb to the big “C”. I found out in a hurry that I was out of condition! The view was very pretty, the whole valley spread below us and ever so often you’d see a small village with it’s church steeple rising above the rest of the houses, and all the little green fields orderly partitioned off by hedges or fences. Practically all the leaves have turned color and most of them have fallen, but the fields are still nice and green.
We walked back the four miles to the house. The streets all had high hedges along them so it was hard to see much of what was behind them. We stopped at a pub and had a beer, ginger beers for the kids. A lot of the way we walked back was cross country, over fields, with stiles to cross the fences. I wish you could have been along with us today. The country is very beautiful and I know you would enjoy seeing it, and I can’t fully enjoy it when I’m thinking how swell it would be walking there with you, holding your hand, or perhaps with my arm around you (bold, aren’t I?).
We got back to Mr. Day’s ( Steve’s friend’s) house just in time for dinner, and that walk had really worked up our appetites. Mrs. Day was very nice; she satisfied our appetites without an undue burden on her rations. We had Brussels sprouts, which seem to be the staple and mainstay food here, which were prepared in such a way that they were quite good, not the cooked out cold things we get at the mess. All they needed really was a little french dressing. I’m afraid you’ll have to give up the idea of ever feeding me Brussels sprouts, from all reports and indications I am scheduled to have them for every meal from now until next spring. They are on a par with spam as concerns the American soldier’s choice of food. Along with the sprouts we had pork that was nine tenths fat and some quarter fried potatoes. She served pie for dessert that was still hot and very tasty. The filling was a combination of raisins, orange marmalade, and I don’t know what else. Sounds a little weird, but it tasted very good, sort of like a minced meat pie.
The boys are 15 or 16, are twins and look very much alike, but not so much that you can’t tell them apart. If you fail to believe this I don’t blame you, but they were still wearing short pants! And you thought Philly was bad! They also have a girl 10 or 11 years old.
After we ate we moved into the living room for our coffee in front of the fireplace and talked for the rest of the afternoon. Most of the houses here have fireplaces (and no central heating) but they are usually very small things; this one had a good fire going and it gave out a lot of heat. All in all it was a very nice day, sort of like spending a Sunday at home, but with one important thing lacking; maybe YOU can guess what it was.
I’m on duty tonight, so I had to catch an early train back while Steve stayed for a while longer. I got back expecting to find a whole stack of letters from you, but there wasn’t even a little note. That makes a complete week with no letters now, confidentially this army postal service stinks! .
10 November ‘43 Wednesday My darling;
. . . . . We had a very nice drive through the English countryside. It was a beautiful day, and you can see so much more of the country when you are traveling by car than by train. I sat up in the front seat (along with with the WAC driver, but don’t get jealous ‘cause she wasn’t pretty and definitely wasn’t young) and navigated with the aid of a road map. I didn’t get us lost even once, and we arrived 15 minutes ahead of the time I had planned, so I was very proud of myself. This is the first time I’ve been on a trip with the Colonel (Reed) and I had made all the arrangements so I was very pleased that things went so smoothly and we spent a very nice day seeing the things that we wanted to see. . .
11 November ‘43 . . . . . . . . . It was another nice day, and we took our time coming back, looking the country over on the way. We went by a very pretty cathedral and stopped and looked at it. It was very old, having been built in the middle of the sixteenth century. We went in the church and it was very pretty inside; all the windows were stained glass and with the sun shining through them they really showed up nice. . . . .
12 November ‘43 Friday Darling;
. . . . . The Colonel’s secretary (Miss Devine) invited Saint, George, Steve, and me up to her place for supper tonight. She is very nice and is an American; she is divorced and has a boy six or eight who is living with friends in the States. The four of us bought her a bunch of flowers and that made a hit with her. I had the best meal I’ve had since I got here. She was using the same materials that the British use, but there was a world of difference in the results. We had fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and baked parsnips. I never did care much for parsnips, but even they were eatable. The fried pork chops weren’t greasy at all and were very good. The meal was topped off with a fresh baked home made apple pie; yum yum, it was good! Almost as good as one of your pies would taste to me now. I’m afraid I’ll be spoiled and not want to eat in the mess for a while. . .
posted by Betty & Glenn Burke | 11:37 AM
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