Spitball Army

[Letter addressed to Mrs. Harry V. C., c/o Mrs. J. W., 20 Block Street, Dundee, Scotland.  Return addressed to Cpl. Harry V. C., 33428766, 1409^th A.A.F. Base Unit, E.D.A.T.C. A.P.O. 741 c/o P.M., U.S. Army.]

France
Aug. 11, 1945

Dearest Mary:

Well Darling here I am again with a few lines to let you know that I am well, and getting along the best I can.  Darling I only hope that this finds you well and getting along allright.  I am still working in the hangar, but we are not doing much.

Darling I haven’t received any mail from you for 3 days now.  I received two from Mom today.  One of them was for you Darling so I am writing this little note to send along with it.  I will try and write more afterwhile.  I miss you more than ever Darling.  I sure hope that we are together soon.

Darling I haven’t received any answer from the letter I wrote to the U.K. Base.  Darling please send that letter and the card with the address where to send it.  I will take them in to the personnel office and see what they will do about it.  Please excuse me and forgive me for such a short letter Darling.  I love you more than ever, Mary.  I miss you so much.

Your Loving and Lonely Husband
Harry

1965. We nab sweet snacks from the kumquat tree and honeysuckle vine on the way inside for a dinner of fish sticks and Jell-O.

Fifteenth of 20 watercolor picture/postcards from the postcard book titled: “Official View Book, A CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXHIBITION, Chicago, 1933.”

This card pictures “the romantic colorful pageant ‘Wings of a Century'” at the 1933 World’s Fair held in Chicago, Illinois.

The accordion-style postcard book’s cover:

Mimosas line the Southern highway off-ramp, pink and green preppy parasols nodding to the traffic. There’s not a college for miles.

[Letter addressed to Mrs. Harry V. C., c/o Mrs. J. W., 20 Block Street, Dundee, Scotland.  Return addressed to Cpl. Harry V. C., 33428766, 1409^th A.A.F. Base Unit, E.D.A.T.C. A.P.O. 741 c/o P.M., U.S. Army.]

France.
July 26, 1945

Dearest Mary:

Just a few more lines to let you know that I am well and getting along the best I can.  Darling, I sure hope this finds you well and getting along allright.  I haven’t received any more letters from you since the 23^rd.  Darling, I just can’t tell you how much I miss you.  I only wish that I was back in England so I could have you with me again.  Oh, Darling, I love you so awful much.  I only hope I receive a letter from you today.  Darling, I was working last night but I have tonight off.  Dearest, do you get to see Betty and Billie any more?  Hank came through here last night on his way back to Barrington.  I only wish I would be back there.  Darling, please tell me how you are, and how you are getting along.  Please tell me every thing, will you, Mary Dearest.  I am sitting here now all alone.  Every body is working.  I only wish you could be here with me now just so I could hold you tight in my arms and be able to hold you tight and kiss you and just keep on kissing you.  Dearest, have you found out yet for sure if we will be lucky enough to get our prayers answered this time?  I am praying every day, Darling.

Darling, have you got all the papers filled out that you had with you at Millfield?  I haven’t been in to see about them yet.  I am mailing [are] the paper you was going to send me.  Darling, if you get back to Glasgow, please let me know if you find out any thing more.  Hank said something about Betty being put on the shipping list to go back to the States.  Do you know anything about it?  Dearest, will you find out all you can about getting every thing fixed so you can get back.  I just can’t stop worrying about you.  I guess you know how it is when you love some one so awful much.  Mary Darling, please tell me how you are getting along there at home.  Will you, Mary Dearest?  I know how you feel about staying there if something does happen, so if any thing does let me know and I will send you all the money I can so you can stay some place else if you must.

Mary, did you ever get the other picture yet?  When you do, don’t forget to send me one.  Darling, if you can will you get me a picture of Jimmie?  I miss him a lot.  I wish I were back up there with you again.  I haven’t found out yet if we will be stationed here after our T.D. is up or not.  I will let you know just as soon as I find out.

Well I guess I have about run out of news for this time.  The other shift is coming back to the barracks now so it is getting kind of noisy around here now.

Darling, how is Mom and Jimmy getting along?  Tell them that I said Hello.  I miss seeing them a lot, but Darling you are the one that means every thing in this world to me.  Mary Dearest, I am thinking of you every second, and wondering how you are and how you are getting along.  Please Darling let me know every thing when you answer this, and every thing that is happening around Dundee.

I will have to close for this time, Darling.  I only hope I get a letter from you tonight.

I love you with all my heart Darling.  I pray that we are together for good very soon.

All my love for now and for ever and ever.

Your Loving and very Lonely husband.
Harry

You’ll be better off, she said. Turn that down, she said. It’s the same every time, she said. Don’t mix beer and wine, she said.

Listening 101: As she hands me my sandwich – ordered as “no ketchup, please” – she asks me, “Would you like ketchup with that?”

[Letter addressed to Cpl. Harry V. C., 33428766, 1409^th A.A.F. Base Unit, European Div. A.F.B., A.P.O. – 741, c/o P.M., U.S. Army.  Return addressed to Mrs. Harry V. C., c/o Mrs. W., 20 Black Street, Dundee, Scotland.]

25^th February 45

To
My Own Dearest Darling

Here I am again, and I am so sorry that this will only be a very small letter, darling.

Well darling here I am at last, and to tell you the truth it is now two o’clock on Tuesday morning, so the date now ought to be the 27^th inst.  I think I better write a large letter to you to make up for what I’ve lost (smile).

Darling I received two letters from you to-day one this morning and I also got the “Yank” & the two “Life” books and then I got the second letter when I came off duty at four.

Darling I would have wrote to you sooner than this, but I have been very busy here in the ops room, to-day and it’s only now that we’ve quitened down a bit. (smile)

I will answer your two letters then.  I will tell you all the news, if there is any after I answer your letters (smile).

Gee darling I am glad you got back O.K.  Darling you weren’t late in getting back were you, it was twelve o’clock noon when you did get back wasn’t it darling.  Gosh darling, what wouldn’t I do to have you here with me to-morrow evening.  I love you that much that I want to be with you as much as possible, even though it is only on your three day passes.  Harry darling, they are always better than writing, aren’t they my precious. (smile.)

Yes darling I got home all right, with a bump stuck in my throat of course.

Gosh darling I’m glad to hear you got your letters from me.

Gee darling if we have a family to look after then there won’t be any time to learn you how to dance (smile).  We’ll have our time all taken up by our five kids, Harry darling (smile).  You might rather learn to dance than have five kids, would you.  We will only have one while we are across here, no more than that darling remember.

Gee you didn’t need to remind me of not keeping you awake this time when you were here, and I am very sorry darling that I didn’t keep awake myself.  Tell me truthfully darling, did you stay awake anytime, or did you just happen to waken every time I did, or was it you that wakened me (smile).

Gee darling I wish that we had tried to keep each other awake.  I’m going to make sure that I won’t sleep the next time, I going to stay up out of bed.  We are going to lie in front of the fire, and then go to bad about six in the morning then we can sleep if we want to, if we don’t want to sleep then we don’t (smile).

Gee darling that’s what I say just now, but I guess you would rather be in bed would you darling, I think if I want to bed I would sleep.  (smile)  No darling I didn’t forget that I was supposed to get you awake.

I would very much like a nice drink of milk to drink right now, but I didn’t bring any with me to-night.

I am certainly glad to hear that you just could not get along without me, and you know something I just couldn’t get along with out you.  Never darling.  I just couldn’t live without you my darling, and I know you couldn’t do with out me.

Did you really think you had the most wonderful time, better than any of the other times.  I hope & pray that something happens like we both want it to.  Oh darling do you think it will.  Honestly darling I really want it to, for your sake, because I love you so terribly much.  I know you’ll be a pretty proud father then, would you.

Tell me darling, honestly would you rather have it a boy or a girl our first one, it is usually the fathers like girls, but I certainly don’t know for sure.

Oh darling it would be absolutely lovely if you could be here with this dopey little wife of yours, don’t you think so darling, and we wouldn’t need to watch what we did again.

I think that if I don’t do something to keep my eyes open, I will be asleep in a little while (smile).

What exactly do you mean when you tell me not to worry darling.  I’m always worrying you, and I’m always worried about you darling.  I can hardly stop worrying about you.

Well darling you asked me if I could get you another six writing pads.  I went along to see if I could get them, but when I did get there, there was no writing paper at all, but I will keep going in to see when they get them in again.

Well darling I think I have answered all the questions in that first letter.

Darling you ought to hear the girls, what they are saying to me, believe me darling I haven’t told them anything about, well you know what.  They say that they are taking note of the day you were here, and they are to measure my waist every so often, gee you ought to have seen me blush, then the tears came (smile).  Gee I hope we don’t disappoint them darling.

Well darling I think I’ll better get your second letter answered. (smile)  Here goes then darling.

No darling I haven’t seen Rod, nor Johnny or Peter but I might see some of them yet, but somehow I don’t think I will see them.

Gee darling I wish that you would come tomorrow morning.  Oh darling if you can’t be here then I hope it isn’t long before you are here.

What do you mean when you say Rod’s gone now, what exactly do you mean, he’ll be back soon won’t he.

I told the girls when they asked what pins they were that I had in my coat, I told them it was A.T.C. pins, and they wouldn’t believe me because they thought I meant Air Training Corps.  They thought they were very nice, but I think they are very very nice my precious darling.  Gee I love you, you twerp.

Well Darling I ought to be going out for a cup of tea, in a short time.

You might be able to come in here sometime or rather, but I’m not sure though.

No darling the nurse hasn’t been up since the last time you were with me.  Darling there won’t be any work for her to do, with me.  I’ll be beside you, Darling I wouldn’t really mind if it were two instead of one, it would be all the more to write about, wouldn’t it, you twerp, but somehow I think we’ll stick to the one at first, don’t you think so darling, unless of course, we can never tell we might get two of them, and then we couldn’t do any thing about it could we.  I think we will wait until we are home darling before we have twins. (smile)  I think that would be the best thing to do, don’t you my darling.  I would not really care in fact I think it would be very nice, and I think we would be two very very happy people, and more than that I think, we would a very happy mother & father, don’t you my precious.

If you want me to help you out on your writing then I will do so, if I can, I would do it gladly to get caught up on your writing.

I will tell you about the Kings if we go my darling, I think it ought to be good, I wish you could be here to take me Harry.

Mums & Jimmy are O.K. but Jimmy is always asking where you are when he comes home at nights.  He isn’t the only one that is missing you Harry.

Well darling I have answered all I can in that letter so now I will tell you all the news I have to tell you Harry.

Here goes then (smile).  I wrote eleven pages of a letter to mums and I posted before I came on duty.  I hope she gets it before long.

I will be posting this letter to you when I come off duty at seven o’clock.  I haven’t long to go now only two hours & ten minutes.  I hope that it isn’t too long in passing.  Then I am going straight home and into bed clothes and everything. (smile)

Oh darling you ought to have heard another two of the girls, they both go with boy friends, and they asked me, “How do you know it’s the right man for you,” when they asked that I couldn’t tell them. (smile)

Well darling mums had a letter from my father, telling her that he expects to be home on the 1^st of April my birthday.  Oh darling it would be lovely if you could get home here to darling then, is there any chance at all of you getting off then.

Darling is there any possibility Harry of you getting up then.

Well darling I have just been out for tea.

Darling if you are not here tomorrow, when will you be up darling, I would like you to be here for my birthday darling.

I hate asking you this could you send up some money as I have to get my picture taken for my identification here and I just don’t have enough to get them taken, and I will, at least I would like to give mum a bunch of flowers for her birthday.  Gee darling please excuse the writing I am getting very tired and sleepy.  Really darling I hate asking you to send money to me, but gee I’ve just got too, but honestly I hate asking you darling, and I also want to buy pyjamas, (smile) maybe a nightdress, that’s to say if you prefer it to a pair of pyjamas (smile), but gee I think I would be better and safer with pyjamas, don’t you darling, but are they as handy as the nightdress (smile).  Gee am I naughty, but I’m nice ain’t I my precious darling.  So darling if you don’t mind please send some money to this dopey darling of yours, will you, that’s to say if you’re not up before then, you might be up tomorrow, one never can tell, can one, a miracle could happen couldn’t it my darling.

Everyone here is sitting talking to each other and I am trying to get as much written to you as I can.  Everyone is all a kind of tired and sleepy.

Darling I heard another little story, but I don’t know if I ought to tell you it in this letter, but I don’t tell you now, some how, I couldn’t remember it later on. (smile)

There was a fellow one night after being out with a girl, when he went home on his finger (smile) not his finger darling (smile) had discovered something red on his finger, and the next day he went to his doctor thinking had got some disease, when he got there he asked the doctor about it, the Dr. got hot water and cotton wool and washed it, the fellow of course was pretty startled at this, and naturally he asked the Dr. what it was, and he the Dr. told him it was Lipstick, what do you think of that one darling.

There is another one but I just couldn’t tell you, darling, at least write it, if I remember it I will tell you when you are here next, (smile) but I really won’t promise.

Well darling I am back on the tea again, but I wish I had brought a bottle of milk with me, and right now I am very thirsty, and I’m not hungry.  I had egg sandwiches with me, and I am absolutely fed-up at looking at food, of any sort to eat.

I am just going to get to bed and sleep until to-morrow to about two o’clock, and not eat anything, that’s the way I am feeling right now, but I will drink milk, and that is about all, I don’t think I want to drink tea.  I’ve got absolutely fed up drinking it.

I hope darling, please please don’t drink anything darling, at least what you said that you some times drank.  Please darling don’t.  Oh darling please don’t think I’m being a little rotter, but I hate to think of you drinking that stuff.

Please don’t think I smoke darling, because honestly I don’t.  I really and truly did it for absolute devilment darling, just because I knew that you were so sure that I wouldn’t  I really hated doing, but I wasn’t really in a good moody.  I honestly please don’t think I’m dopey, and believe me darling I really felt like crying, you will hardly believe me, and somehow I know you won’t believe me, tell you, I mean tell me do you believe me darling.

Well darling I am sending you two drawings by the same girl that drew the two of us my precious so I am enclosing them in with this letter.

I think Florrie is really has a very nice drawing instinct don’t you.  She just starts scribbling, but it really always turns into some thing nice.

Well darling it is now six thirty, and it will only be another half hour to go before I go off duty, and then I make one dash and home and into bed, after a nice cool drink of milk.

I do so hope that I get another letter from you tomorrow sometime.

Oh darling I forgot to tell you, Anna went swimming to-day with another three or four girls, and I went into see Joyce, so instead of going home to make, and drink tea, I went down to Wilson’s and sat and had coffee and two cakes, and sat and looked through the three books I got from you today, then when I left there I went up to Aunty Ella’s, and mum told me that there was another letter for me, so as I said that was the two letters I got from you this morning, sorry I mean yesterday (smile).

Well darling it is now twenty to seven and Anna and the rest of the crew has just come in.

You have heard me talking about Jenny, well she will be off for three whole weeks, she has got the chickenpox.  (smile)

I will have to close now my darling, saying Cheerio and God Bless you, and it would be wonderful if you came, and gave me a surprise, of you coming home on Wednesday morning.  I will say Cheerio carling.

All my Love & Kisses
I love you with all my heart.
Yours now Always & forever
Your Loving & Lonely Wife Mary

I love you Harry

B.O.L.T.O.P.

Gee I’m sleepy Harry (smile).

I was told by a co-worker today that our current civilization won’t last three more years, and that I’d better have my guns ready. It was then I realized that an Obama bumper sticker on my truck might not be a good idea.

Fourteenth of 20 watercolor picture/postcards from the postcard book titled: “Official View Book, A CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXHIBITION, Chicago, 1933.”

This card pictures “Enchanted Island, glorified playground where parents may leave their children” at the 1933 World’s Fair held in Chicago, Illinois.

The accordion-style postcard book’s cover: