April 7th, 1944

Dear Joan,

I was very glad to hear from you. That letter from you was a great moral builder. The way things have been going for that past few weeks in this camps, my moral can't stand it. Everybody is getting fed up with things around here. I received you letter right before we went on our 10 mile hike . Hearing from you made me feel really good.

Today at noon I heard a rumor that brought my moral to sub-normal again. To the same old story of human nature. When a guy gets feeling low he always turns to a woman to tell his woes to. I still like you, respect you, and always will. Why I pulled up and left you I shall never know or try to explain. Get that idea out of your head that you will never see me again. I want to and shall see you again; as a damn good friend. If the trucks run to Welshpool again before we leave I will see you again. If not I will see you on my first furlough.

So far this week Bob and I have not been out of camp and have not had a drink. We are on a month restriction on drinking. Tomorrow night, if we feel half decent, we intend to go to the should in Shrewsbury.

I was very sorry to hear about Sally. I hope it was not a serious accident and I hope she gets well soon. Please tell Sally that I am thinking of her.

Well Joan, keep your chin up, work hard, and have a good time in your spare time. I will try to do the same even though my chin is dragging in the dirt tonight. I hope for your sake you do not repeat your drinking spree of last Monday night. It does not do any good in this particular case for all you will get out of it is a bad headache in the morning along with all the thoughts that you were trying to forget the night before. Liquor, in my estimation, only helps out on good times when you are looking for a good time.

Goodnight Beautiful Girl!

Arthur


History:

April 6: In Britain, the dramatic increase in the number of wage-earning citizens leads the government to introduce pay-as-you-earn taxation, whereby an employer deducts a set amount from an employee's paycheck per pay period.

April 7: The Soviet Union declines a renewed Japanese offer to negotiate a separate peace between the Nazis and the Russians.

February 13th, 1944

Dear Joan,

When the C.Q. came in this morning and told me that it was time to get up I did not think that I could make it. I have never been so tired in all my life. As soon as I finish this letter I am going to hit the hay and tomorrow I will feel like a new man.

I sure hope that you didn't feel as tired as I do, if you did you should have dropped what you were doing at this time and should have gone to bed. Confusing, isn't it?

The trucks are coming over Wednesday for the dance. I would like very much to see you then if it is possible. I will meet you at the Queen's between 7:30 and 8 o'clock.

One of the fellows just mentioned that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I hadn't even though it for I have had no cause to think about such things for over three years. I am not the kind of fellow who can spread his feelings out on papar nor am I going to try, but I hope that these few lines that I have written here will make it clear how I feel about you , Blue Eyes. Goodnight Till Wednesday.

Love,
Arthur

February 8th, 1944

Dear Joan,

I finally wrote home tonight but it was not much of a letter. I just could not seem to find or think up some interesting subjects to write about. The reason that it is hard to write home is that I have very few ties back there. No girlfriend, only one close boy friend who is now in the navy, two sisters one being twice my age the other 2/3 by age and my father and step mother. The family as a whole is very poor in letter writing, this little fellow being the worst of the lot all but for dad; he never writes.

This evening I did my first sewing job into the E.T.O. After several attempts to thread the needle, I did it. The next step was done with great ease, placing the button on the spot from whence it was torn from. From there I proceeded in the presidential manner. At this point I had trouble, the thread tied itself all up in knots before i knew what had happened. The following step gave me the greatest pleasure. I tore the damn button off and started over again. While I was in the mood I sewed up that glove that i ripped about 4 weeks ago.

Went to a show on the port tonight "[illegible] wife." Although I had seen it before I enjoyed it the second time for it was a good picture. Well Joan, good night, sleep tight, and sweet dreams.

Love,
Arthur

I still can see you in your pretty new dress beautiful blue eyes

History

February 8: The RAF drops the heaviest bomb of the war thus far, six tons, on the Gnome-et-Rhone aircraft engine manufacturing facility in Limoges, France.

February 6th, 1944

Dear Joan,

Thank a lot for the picture of your beautiful self. Your picture has been up in the hut for a period of less than 24 hours and you have already received quite a few compliments from the boys in the hut who have never seen you before.

After I left you Saturday night I walked back to the dance hall, went up the stairs, danced a few times with some of the girls. I met with Larry when we first came over and helped put quite a few boys on the trucks. A lot of fellows were really tight, including myself I guess. Today the only ill affect of the day of thinking was a very tired feeling, nothing more. You know something Joan, I bet that I danced 10 miles total for Friday and Saturday nights.

I hope your cold gets better, not worse. It seems that I have run out of ideas to write about to night. I'm afraid I am going to bring this letter to a close. I will be over Thursday evening and will meet you at the station if you can make it. I will write you another letter this week when I have gotten over this morning after feeling. Goodnight Beautiful and "Happy Memories" of times gone by.

See you next week
Love,
Arthur

History:

February 7th 1944: The first U-boat outfitted with a Schnorkel, which allows delivery of outside air to the submerged ship, becomes operational.

January 31th, 1944

Dear Joan,

I do not know if I can finish this letter to you for I have just finished a half hour of boxing with Bob and I am almost dead. Last night we boxed at out recreation hall and tonight in our hut. Some difference, in the hut, due to lack of floor space. We practically stood toe to toe and fought it out. Right now I feel like I'm taking a bath in the state of Arizona where the temperature rise to 120 degrees in the shade. There is one place I want to go after the war to see the beauties of nature; a sunset of radiant colors filtering through the clouds to silhouette a lone cactus on the ever so peaceful plains of the West, a full moon of such brilliance that it lights up the whole prairie like day except for the dark shadows formed by the cacti, grazing cattle, ravines, and mountains.

There is something about that country that gets you, you just cant forget it once you have seen it.

I made a mistake when I told you that my day off was Friday. I checked the schedule and my day off is the 5th of February. Under such circumstances I will not meet you on Thursday night at the station. If it's O.K. with you I will meet you inside the entrance to the Town Hall between 7:30 and 8:00 on Friday night. The trucks are coming over hence I travel by that means and not by train. So if it O.K. , I will see you Friday. If you can't make it I will call on you about 1:00 Saturday afternoon.

Alittle something that has driven many a soldier to drink and despair:
Mary knew a little lamb
Whose love she much preferred
But she couldn't wait
And so she wed
A wolf who'd been deferred

Love
Arthur

History:

January 29, 1944 - The U.S. 34th Division crosses the Rapido.

January 24th, 1944

Dear Joan,

Sunday I got your last letter. By the way, I thought you did not like to write. Well you did alright with that nine page letter. I wish I gotten it Friday night, then I wouldn't have missed you at the station.

I hope that you did not catch a cold Saturday night because of the rather damp weather. Going back to town from the Hostel I guess I scared two W.F.A. girls to death. That's okay, the next girl nearly got me. She was walking home with a fellow who had his bicycle with him, I could see the bicycle O.K. so I stepped to the side. Then I was attacked by a secret weapon. Lucky for me I dodged just in time. The girl was carrying an umbrella and she almost put my eye out with it. You girls carrying anything for protection! You know something Blue Eyes, the women of Welshpool sure look after the yanks.

Saturday night just before the truck pulled out, Hugo (a driver) asked if anybody had seen Havener. I told him who I was on the truck. He told me that some girl had seen me leave the town hall drunk just before the trucks got ready to leave and she wanted to know if I got aboard. I asked Hugo who she was but he did not know. Do you know who she could be? As for being drunk...I think she was for I was sober.

Well Blondy, I will look for you in the Queens Hotel before the dance next Saturday. I am still thinking about the ice cream soda that you are going to buy for me some day in the near future.

Love,
Arthur

History:

January 22, 1944 - Allies land at Anzio in Italy.

January 17th, 1944

Dear Joan,

Thanks for the marking ink. I found it on my bed a few days ago and had no idea where it came from. Today Red told me where it came from.

Last Friday night in the station, I lost my money, pass, and ration card. I thought that they were gone for good. Saturday morning I was told that the items were in the lost and found and I received them from the department.

I had a few hours left before the jeep went back to camp so I looked around town for you. I saw alot of Land Army girls of which I recognized one, Lilly.

Well, now that I have some money I hope to spend my day off outside of camp. If I don't have K.P. or some other duty to carry out I will arrive Friday night at about 7:30 to 7:45 at the station. I will look around the place for you. Now if something goes wrong and you can not make it, I will look for you in front of the white lion on Saturday afternoon between 1:30 and 2:00. If none of these work out, I will see you at the dance Saturday evening, I hope.

Until I see you again Blue Eyes, keep healthy, don't work too hard and keep ......... Let me know if you can fill in that last word!

Love,
Arthur

History:

January 17, 1944 - First attack toward Cassino, Italy.