Chased By Mail - Aug. 23, 1944

Aug 23, 1944

Dear Mother,

Just received your letter of June seventh. I think the letter got waylaid someplace is the reason it took so long.
Thanks for the piece about the Ninth. I didn't know the fellow that did the walking. But that's the first news I've had from the old outfit for quite some time.
They have finally given us permission to use the address here at this replacement Depot. Had we started using it sooner we would be getting our mail in about ten to fifteen days. Instead the mail chases all over England and ends up by taking thirty to sixty days.
Now that I have a new address I will probably move on to another outfit. That's the way things happen.
That's about all that's new right now. Til later -
Love from me to you

Kenneth

Feeling Some Better - March 6, 1944

March 6, 1944

Dear Mother,
I'm sorry to hear about Lucy Shoup. She wasn't so old was she? It's been a long time since I last saw her but she seemed to be in good health.
Who gets Lucy's land? That was a pretty nice piece of land she had.
O these teeth I've got four with small cavities starting. I've had more trouble in the past three months than all the rest of the time in the army. I think it's something missing in the diet over here that makes teeth decay so fast. After getting these four filled that should fix me up for a while.
Thanks to somebody for the box of camels. They tasted good after this English candy.
Have you had a chance to get any work done on the car yet? I hope it's not in too bad shape. Although siting around the way the car has is harder on it than if it ran quite a bit.
This over here is a smokers paradise if he's in the armed forces. Cigarettes are sold for five cents a pack. That's quite a savings for some of the fellows.
Don't get lost when you look over the place. You might try your best to give me a word picture after you finish with your exploring.
I was doing pretty good on the 5th, 6th and 7th. A few days earlier I wasn't feeling too hot. I didn't get sick enough to vomit but I sure didn't feel like running any races.
I'll be seeing you.

Love
Kenneth

In England Jan. 1944

Friday

Dear Mother,
Here I am in jolly old England. It looks a good deal as one would imagine. The thing that seems the strangest is the oldness of all buildings. So far I haven't seen any new buildings like you see in the States.
Some of the homes and villages are quite picturesque. They look like something from a story book. The straw thatched roofs with their gables and peaks. I'm sorry now I didn't bring a camera to take pictures of this country.
Our housing situation is much better than I expected. We have barracks belonging to one of the old Historical Regiments of England, from the age of the barracks they must be very historical. The beds we sleep on make me laugh every time I lay down. They are almost six feet long and have a straw tick for a mattress. Now I'll have a comeback if Dad ever starts talking about straw ticks.
I got your letter of Dec. twenty-seventh. Am glad to hear everyone had a good time. Linda Lee should be getting pretty husky by now. I would have like to have gotten something for the kids, but I've been moving so fast and so far that many things had to be foregone.
This letter will probably reach you about your birthday so I'm taking this oportunity to wish you a *HAPPY BIRTHDAY WITH LOVE*.
Tell Dad to take good care of that Christmas cheer. And don't do anything with it that I wouldn't.

Love
Kenneth