5 October 1944

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York

New York

5 October 1944

Dearest Mother:

Again I sit down and will write you a few lines.  Received your letter of 16 Aug., just four days ago, and have also a few others to catch up on answering for you.

As you may have already guessed our team was working in Brittany at the time of the Fall of Brest.  Sometimes the headings on my letters may give you a hint.  We were, I guess, about 12 or 14 miles behind the lines and as you know our duty is caring for casualties.  We could hear and see the sound and the smoke from the bombardment.

After our duty there our or part of our team came back to headquarters for a few days to again, after a couple of days, leave to rejoin our hospital again, and believe it or not I really enjoy being away from headquarters and all that goes on there.  We all here feel the same.  But I guess we were there for such a long time and we all needed a change.

Again I also had the chance to see Paris and again I purchased a few more things which you will I hope soon receive. Also enclosed you will find a small lace collar which I picked up in my travels which I hope you can use in some way, if for nothing other than a wash cloth.  You might find use for it on a nice black dress of some kind.  I hope it reaches you in good shape.  I sent a large photographic book on Versailles and a rare Botanical book which I picked up on the famous bookshop row on the Seine River.  I also sent Miss Mosher some stationary from Paris.  I will get some more things when I have the chance.  Lace is of course my favourite and I hope to get a centerpiece for Marshall and wife as a wedding present.  He should like that.  I am quite anxious to hear of Nina’s receiving the perfume.  She is quite hard to please.  She also wants a lace tablecloth, but I have seen none as yet.  You will get one when she does.

Paris is indeed a changed place since I saw it first.  The city is full of people and practically everything is open again.  The ladies and gentlemen of wealth are again out in their carriages up and down the “Champs Elysees” and the Boulevard Housmann.  The Place de l’Opera is the place for you to see some day.  The styles and the clothing of both men and women is the latest thing.  The coiffeurs are simply out of this world for smartness.  How they all can afford the clothes they wear certainly surprises me.  One of the officers bought it beautiful handbag of brown suede for about fifty American dollars. So you can see what conditions are, and of course the soldiers here have helped matters along some.

The Louvre and the Palace of the Tuileries are as yet not open but will soon be open again. Most of the fountains are running in the gardens of the Palace’s Tuileries and Luxembourg.

Again I had the chance to see something of great beauty.  That was the famous cathedral of Reims and as I expected the famous Rose window is not there.  The altar is not as grand as some but ornate and rich with gold candlesticks etc.  The ceiling is of great height and still quite a bit of other stained glass remains.

This may be hard for you to believe but our group of teams here with us have traveled over seven thousand miles since we left Fort Sam Houston. What would we have paid for such a trip otherwise?

In answer to your question regarding the evacuation of patients.  All are sent back to the states that will not recover in a very few months.  All the ones not going to the states are all but a few going to England for recovery.

Received letters also from Marshall and Frances Whelchel.

You can send me in one of your packages some tea and also some dehydrated milk and also some chocolate for making cocoa on cold days.

While I was in Paris I was able to get some film.  They have film and camera supplies in abundance there.  So I have enough for awhile.

Thanks a lot for the “Air Mail” stamps which you recently sent.

Mailed my ballot in today and sincerely hope it does some good.

I do not seem to have the piece of poetry right here but have it in another place.  If not I will ask for another copy.

Yes the War damage is as bad in places as the pictures you see.  Some of the roads are littered with tanks and wreckage of other kinds.  Some cities or villages are suffering from very little damage.  The Engineers have repaired quite a bit of the damage in the places they are using.  We saw one air field which is certainly a big mess and you should see some of the railroads, yards etc.

Well this is about far enough for today and I had better bring this to a close and get it on its way to you.

Is it not quite strange to you about Barbara Ellen leaving Greenacres?

Send me also a can or so of popcorn and some salt also when you get a chance.

Love as always,

Your son,

Stanley

Note from the transcriber:

BELG = probably for Belgium, don’t you think?