In history, 1944: Our Men In Service

Your letter came yesterday and I was glad to hear from you. I also received a letter from Bud Shirley. His address was c/o San Francisco, so I figured he is in the South Pacific. The letter was dated February 26 and took all that time to catch up with me.

This England is quite a place. It is rolling country with lots of green hedges and grass. The buildings are of brick. They do things differently here but we are catching on fast. Their money had us confused for a while but we get along o.k. now.

The boat trip was a real experience. We are now living in tents and sleeping on cots with straw ticks. The food is o. k. Powdered eggs and milk are really something.

The weather has been very damp —rains almost every day. They have trucks to take the fellows out to see the sights on Sundays. Tomorrow I plan to visit a town that has some castles and cathedrals. We aren’t here for a sight-seeing tour but I will try and see as much as possible.

I think a lot about the swell times we used to have and am hoping that soon mother, Tippy, the Smiths, and I will be together again. Till that glorious day,

As ever, John. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle, May 27, 1944

Editor’s note: During World War II, it was common for Wasco County residents to lend The Dalles Chronicle letters they had received from family in service overseas, sometime more than once. These were transcribed and printed in a regular column.