February 19, 1945 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

1

Holland

February 19, 1945

Dearest Mother:

Have received in the last couple days your letters of Jan 17 and Feb 6. Also along with them came a message from Marshall telling me he would write a longer letter after Christmas.  Also Christmas card from Prescott Keyes and his wife (Miss Mosher’s nephew) who by the way had a baby on Dec 24 according to Miss Mosher.  I received a card sometime ago from her niece Carol and a note attached, so I answered it the other day. (A money order enclosed $37.50)[1].   Also have here your V-mails of Jan 26 and was very glad to hear sooner than usual.

Of course you should not mention this but also two days ago I received a late box from Miss Mosher containing of all things a tie.  A very nice one and all that but I have not worn a tie since Paris and no one else here does either and there is only a couple place(s) they can be worn here on the continent and Paris is one of them since there are more or less a garrison life in progress (Money order $37.50).  But anyway I can keep it. I am rather amused at the thoughts some people have of our existence over here.  Also a nice long letter from the Matsons.  Thank you for discouraging the money order idea as it would only involve more trouble and I already have more money than I know what to use it for over here.  That is the reason for the money order. Altho I always keep enough on hand just in case I find anything worthwhile to send home.  I may run across some more children’s books in some place so I will keep them in mind.  They have some nice ones in Belgium all in French.  They have “Snow White”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, and many others all very beautifully illustrated in color.  Sgt Olson bought a few of them for his coming child, due sometimes in March I believe.

I like the sample of material enclosed in your letter and I imagine you will look quite attractive in that color.

Your mention of the difference in my income brings to my mind more than ever that I should have purchased more stocks when I bought my other.

So keep on the look out for more.

Yes I can well imagine the anxiety on Nina’s mother’s part and just let them remain in a dither would serve them right.  I can not imagine why you are so late in receiving your copy of the will.  You would think all those concerned would receive a copy.  Why did Grandpa[2] ever make a point of telling you to be sure and get a copy?  Why did Grandpa ever make a point of telling you to be sure and get a copy?  Did he have in his mind that you would not get one otherwise?

My address book tells me Jay’s birthday is soon so I will have to get a greeting of some kind off to him soon.

Glad to hear of you mentioning the one money order.  They go thru so many hands sometimes that I worry.

I never heard so such a thing as you paying me interest.  It is there for you to use.  I have no need of it here certainly so use it.

If you remember the chocolate and the tea were in another box than the one they took

I think I may have an idea to help solve the letter situation on my end anyway.  Start numbering your letters starting with the first one you mail after receiving this one.  I will do the same on this end starting with this letter as One.  Miss Mosher has been doing that and I can get them straight after they arrive.

Remember a good attic would be nice for me?

Whatever the insect was I do not know as I had been cleaning the operating room and the place had been an old storeroom and was alive with thing when we first went there.

Well about all for now.

All my Love,

Your son, Stanley

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[1] Bottom of the pages 1 and 2

[2] William Matthews, 3^rd husband of Isabella Griswold, step-father of her daughter Cora, Grace’s (and Nina’s ) mother.  There was a falling out with Cora for some reason, which could explain why Stanley refers to his grandmother Cora, the way he does.  William Matthews thus was his step-great-grandfather

January 23, 1945 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Holland

January 23, 1945

(2 cards enclosed)[1]

My dear Mother:

 Have nothing much to write about this evening but will make a try at a few lines anyway.

Last evening since the play with Catherine Cornell was still playing here I decided to go see it, so started out two and a half hours early so in order to get a seat, but arrived there to find a long line already formed outside and returned home since she is not that good.  I have seen her in the states anyway.  That is the way with all things of that type here.  They are all ruined by the ordeal required in order to see them.

This is the actual pair of  wooden shoes mentioned here

In view of the recent events in Belgium I may tell you that the wooden shoes and lace which I sent were purchased there (Bastogne). This in a way adds something to them.  I have obtained a large pair of wooden shoes for myself and will send them off soon.  I am going to try and get a few more for home.

I was able to get a little sunshine today for a change.  It melted quite a bit of the snow and in a way cleared things up.  We have a small interior court here which would really be nice if fixed up during the summer, now it is covered with snow and the formal design barely visible beneath the snow.

You would enjoy seeing the small children being pulled on little sleds instead of carriages along the frozen sidewalks.  They are usually all bundled up in a small furring and are always pink cheeked from the cold.

Today I helped a little with the inventory and am quite dizzy this evening from seeing figures etc all day so I believe I will attend the show again as that is about all unless I wish to remain here in the noise etc.

Can think of not much else tonight so will close now asking you to take good care of yourself and give my fondest regards to all.

Always

All my Love,

Stanley

(Find two 3¢ stamps)

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[1] Were no longer with the letters as neither are any pictures.  The pictures are pulled from his WWII Photo album or loose pictures found within the album.

November 19, 1944 - Belgium

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Belgium

November 19, 1944

Dearest Mother:

As you again see by the heading and also my new stationary.  I have moved and once again I have been able to reach one of the well stocked Belgium stores for this paper.

Our team has again changed locations and are now located at a different Field Hospital which is not in action at present.  Only this time we do not have Col MacIntyre with us.  The Colonel has been replaced by another Major while the Col has to remain in headquarters at his duties.

Have before me here your letters of Sept 26 and October 30, the previous one received yesterday contained the clipping of Geo Dewey’s Los Angeles speech, so now I have received two of his speeches: Oklahoma City and Los Angeles.

As I believe I mentioned in my last letter.  I was certainly glad to hear of you receiving the silver, but the stamp disappearance is still a big mystery and I am rather mad about it in fact.  Anyway the important thing is that you have received the thing.

No I have not take to smoking and in regards to your question as to when I get them.  They are given to us in rations and in England I could buy them at the PX.

Sgt Kupfer and myself saw a couple good shows while in headquarters and went to town a couple of times together.  Sgt Ryan is stationed not too far from here but I have not seen him since leaving Paris the first time.

I am going to try and see him some time soon.

We do not have bicycles here and would not have the time for them f we did.  England was in a way a pleasure resort for us.  And you certainly hit the nail on the head when you said being unsettled gets on my nerves.  I could do so much more if we were settled somewhere.

As to your question regarding the casualties.  Yes much different than Brooke General, otherwise no answers.

It seems surprising to me to hear of horse racing in the states while we here are in such a different world.  The horses we see here are the huge big percherons[1] with docked tails which they all have for farm work, and once in a while a smaller horse hitched to a carriage, and they are few and far between here.  They were thick in Paris.

I took a ride into the city yesterday on one of their trolleys which have resumed operation again in most parts.  We (soldiers) do not pay a fare as they tell us.  “The Bosch” (Germans) did not pay so neither do you have to”.

Whitney whom you have heard me mention is now in France with a General Hospital.  Received his change of address card one day and a letter the next.

Have spent most of the day doing a washing and am therefore tired, so will close now bidding you good night and asking you to take care of yourself.

All my love,

Stanley

November 21, 1944

Dearest Mother:

Hoping this reaches you all in one envelope and hope you like it. 

I sincerely wish I could do more for you, but all that will have to wait until another day.

The handkerchief is not a very nice one but you may wear it with your latest suit.  It would not stand close observation to well as you can see.

The cards are from England and Belgium. I thought the latter one very nice, so thought you would also.

In to town yesterday and came home with grapes (greenhouse) and delicious pears.  Also had ice cream  which was my first since the states.

Well all for now and more will follow.

All ways,

Stanley

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[1] http://ivancedeo.ifunnyblog.com/belgianpercheroncross/#

24 October 1944 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Holland

24 October 1944

Dearest Mother:

It is now early morning and it has been sometime since last I wrote to you.  A lot has happened and I have seen a lot of new and beautiful country as you see by the above heading.

After moving here we started right to work and we have the twelve hour shift from 8 to 8 and we therefore spend most of our time sleeping during the day when we have the chance.  For myself I never seem to be quite able to get enough and become accustomed to the night work.  It always seems that my waking up in the evening makes things all wrong.

On our way here I had the chance of seeing the famous Albert Canal and the damage which has been done to it during the fighting and they really do make a mess of some bridges etc when they take a notion to destroy one of them.

I have also seen some of the famous Dutch windmills and they are just as they have always been in the pictures which I have seen.

While still in Belgium I was able to buy two pairs of very inexpensive wooden shoes and have already sent one pair to Ann next door and I am sending the other pair to you with two pieces of lace and two little hand painted pitchers.  The wooden shoes I would like to have you wrap up and give to Jon Matson as a Christmas present from me.  The two pieces of lace are for you and the little clay pitchers you can put away for me.  It will serve as part of an anniversary present to you from me.  Enclosed you will find also a small card which you may like. About all I could find in the way of cards.

In a lot of the windows the Belgi(ans) have pictures of King Leopold and his deceased wife Astrid.  They are quite loyal and patriotic.  They or most of them have flags hanging out or in the windows and here in Holland they have larger flags than either France, Belgium or Luxembourg had on display.

On a couple occasions I was over in Luxembourg, but while there never had the chance to see any of the cities etc enough to really see a difference in it from Belgium.

Our teams here have not received any mail for two weeks so I have none of our questions to answer.

The countryside around us here is very beautiful and is certainly peaceful and quiet in appearance and yet in the distance we can hear the bombardment and see the flashes of light after dark.  The people here practically all wear wooden shoes and they are quite picturesque, more so than any I have seen before.  The horses all wear bells and pull larger loads of things on small carts usually with a child or two on top.  I have never seen such clean struts and harness(?) as they have here.  That was one of the first things that I noticed and it impresses me more so each time I see it.  They have in the past prior to the war been quite modern as the electrical stores are quite frequent as well as other appliance stores are.  The towns are still “off limits” to soldiers so have not had the chance to really see much of them.

Had I mentioned before that Rommel had been kept at the Paris hospital where our headquarters was for a while?  He left there on his way to Berlin the last the people there had seen of him.

The war news from here, that is what we hear of it sounds very good but does not promise “White Christmas” at home or any time quite as spectacular for us.  A remark was made the other day here by a party which I have heard several times before “The political situation is the states has something to do with this”.  I wonder, or have you heard the same?  It came as quite a blow to me here of the death of Wilkie and I undertand Aimee McPherson.  All passed on to her reward.  The news was in one of the army papers I got a hold of.  Was her funeral as elaborate as her life?  From the item I imagine that it must have been.

Have you heard from Hazel Easterman?

Well enough for now and it is about bedtime for myself so I will write again soon.

All my Love,

Stanley