July 9, 1945 - France

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Marseille Area, France - 18

July 9, 1945

Dearest Mother:

Have here your letters 27, 28, 29 which I have received recently since my last letter home to you.

Have here your acknowledgement of the money order of June1. Another one is enclosed in this letter ($50).  I had intended to ask you if you had ever received the two sheets of Dutch stamps which were mailed some time ago.  I do not recall you ever mention them.

I gather that Maibelle would in due time get tired of her relatives if she moved up there so near to them.

Yes, I have been told all about Muriel’s new school and perhaps it will be of value to her, but my idea of models is not very good.  Most of them do not have too good a reputation.

Yes, the 9^th Army headquarters is on their way home.  We no longer belong to them tho.

Yes Neuhaldensleben was the nearest Berlin I got.  I was there on V-E Day at an Evacuation Hospital which took care of a lot of the returning Prisoners.  They were all very interesting to talk with.  They took care of several hundred of them.

Regarding our group here we know nothing other than hearsay and that has always been the same.  Washington has no idea of what the nurses really are.

The Edmond Dantes cell in the Château d'If

I can well imagine the Jacaranda tree from the rear porch and think how beautiful it must be.  One would be very nice in front.  Two would be too many.  It of course would be a lot of work to prepare the curb for one of them or anything else.

Yes I remember the boy who used to mow lawns around there.  He seemed a very nice there.  He seemed a very nice boy.  I believe once before you mentioned him being in the Merchant Marines.

I can well imagine the horse races and everyone out there blowing their money.  I quite often think of the last races we were all to at Ponoma. Remember?

I wrote a letter to the Dutch family the other day.  I also had their address here with me.  Thanks for the other one you enclosed.  I got the stamps from them.

Glad to hear of my mail making such good time after my arrival here.

Yesterday I returned from a trip to Marseille, and the Island “Chateau d’If”[1] (deef) which is not far from the harbor.  We took a small boat out and spent about three hours there.  The Island s where they kept Edward Dantes (count of Monte Cristo[2]) and also the Man in the Iron Mask [3]along with several other notable people in French history.  The Chateau was built in 1524 and has been used for a prison up into the 1800s.

Sorry to hear of you not being able to get all the cherries you wanted.  I will look forward to the pie tho.

Back again to yesterday trip.  The water was beautiful and around the island it was a beautiful green.  A very delightful and cool breeze was blowing which made the boat ride very enjoyable.  On our way back we stopped to see “Valley of Decision” the new Greer Garson picture.  Enjoyed it very much and think she done a wonderful job of acting.

You perhaps are suffering under a false picture of where I am.  You have the area night but this is certainly not the Riviera o what I thought the Riviera would be if it is.  Most of that is further east along the coast.  The army certainly could not have picked any place any nearer like Injo Kern[4] than this.  And conditions here certainly are none too favorable for a pleasure resort.  We can see the water from here but nothing ever comes from there other than dust.  Look on a mop and you will see what I mean.

Well all for now and I hope you all in good health.  Enclosed you will find seven more negatives and the money order.

All my Love always,

Stanley

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27If

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_Monte_Cristo

[3] Contrary to common belief, The Man in the Iron Mask and Marquis de Sade were not prisoners at the château

[4] Inyokern, California - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inyokern,_California

June 4, 1945 - Germany

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

 

Wiedenbruck, Germany  -  14

June 4, 1945

Dearest Mother :

After another short trip from Bielefeld to here at headquarters which took place on the 31, I will write a few lines this evening.  I wrote an unnumbered letter the day of my departure, since I had already packed my things.

I seem to be missing one of your letters, a number 18.  I have your letters 19, 20, 21 and 22 which I received today.

The other day I mailed home the water color I previously mentioned.  I mailed it between two sheets of plywood with the balance of the portrait pictures.  One of them on the sand colored paper is for you.  Some of them are awful.  The boys on Sgt Ryan X-Ray team made them for me .  Also mailed home was a box containing all my winter clothes with sleeping bag liners (sheeting) etc.  Also enclosed were some pictures you can put away for me.  There is a roll or two of developed film which if you want any of you can have made for yourself.  There is also another roll which is marked and you can have one print made of each for me.

In regards to me being heavier.  I my be some, especially after my recent life of luxury.

The porcelain I am glad to hear of reaching home.

The shoes were bought shortly before leaving San Antonio, and have only been worn over here in Paris.  I like them very much.

The porcelain came from a once beautiful collection.

Yes the Lantana was certainly a mess and I often had a mind to remove it but never did.  I would like very much to have seen the Nile lily in bloom, even tho I have seen them before.  They are quite an attraction.  Did the flies bother them any?

Have here the card in an envelope telling me of the subscription to Readers Digest & Time (Pony Edition) as coming from Dad and yourself.  You really should not do these things for me.  You have already done so very much.

Last Sunday they had here for the first time in eight years the “Corpus Christi” celebration and ceremony in the churches.  A Catholic thing, and as always very elaborate and colorful.  With the bishop under a canopy carried by church dignitaries.  The altar boys in their costumes, the sisters and all the little girls dressed in pure white with garlands in their hair.  The people of the church fell into the procession behind.  Some of the robes and banners were certainly nice.  There was a path of flowers down the street and garlands overhead.  The houses along the way had each one constructed an individual altar on their doorsteps.  Something very new to me and worthwhile seeing.

You are certainly right about the mixed up relations a lot of people are going to have with the return home of the soldiers.  Most of them had no business ever getting married to begin with.

Don Finley is quite lucky to be able to go on to school for the Navy. But it may be indicative of a discharge any or none too soon.

You sending me the picture was alright, but I intended you one for yourself.  I can always send this one to someone.  The picture was taken of myself with my fur jacket while I was still at Neuhaldensleben up near Magdeburg in March or April.

From time to time I will write of things in the past which I think will be of interest to you.

Yes, our group may move on rather soon as you mentioned in letter 20.  But as to the shortage of some, I often wonder.  We could get along very well without all of our nurses tho.  They have been nothing but excess baggage and trouble ever since our departure from the US.  For the good some of them are the rest offsets it.

Aunt Dell tells me in the last letter that Gertrude is back from Florida, but has been none too well.

The Amaryllis would perhaps be better if repotted in a larger pot but no great hurry.  They quite often bloom a little better if pot bound.

Yes the news of the Prentice separation.  As you say “Big Shots”.  Was no great surprise to me.

I wish Jay would say something to me about not writing him.  I always make it a point to answer his letters quite soon.  I could very well drop him and spend all my time on other letters.  He has his nerve.

Very glad to hear of Mrs. Miner hearing of Richard.  She told me in her last letter that she worried so much about it at times that she could not be still.  All of them were marched around away from the Russians.

The Avocado tree perhaps is quite useless and should be replaced by something else of more value.  I always wanted a Jacaranda in the parkway in front.  Why don’t you get a good fruit tree or shade tree for the place behind garage.  Of course it is too late for bare root trees now.

Perhaps sooner than expected I may have the chance of seeing Nelson again.  Distances are not so great for us.

Thanks for the Air Mail stamps enclosed in some of your last letters.  Received the correct number according to each letter.

Find enclosed a couple stamps for my collection.

Hope this find you all well and hope you remain so.  My next letter will follow soon as I have the time.

All my Love,

Stanley

Also enclosed one fifty dollar ($50) money order

May 2, 1945 - Germany

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

 

Germany

May 2, 1945

Again this morning I will write you a few lines to let you know how things are on this side of the Atlantic with me.

Have here your letter of April 16, Nov 13 which I received two days ago.  Received a letter from Joe and wrote one to him the day before.  That always happens.  I hear from him at the same time I write him.

I have the package mentioned previously, all packed and ready to mail this afternoon (German) and the jackets.  Muriel can have one of them, Dad another and you one if you wish.  They are quite warm and perhaps of a little souvenir value.  The other or remaining ones you can put away for me.  You can make a scarf for Muriel and yourself if you wish but do not let Muriel have wholesale usage of it. Ryan told his sister he was going to send her enough silk for a handkerchief or two, and he sent the whole parachute, case and all.  Won’t she be surprised when she opens that.

I am enclosing there snapshots, two of scenes on the recent convoy and 3 of myself.  The one of the tower was taken in Reckinghausen and the other one across one of the rivers.  The three of myself are fair.  The one on the generator is the better one.  Will send Muriel a couple of them later when I have more prints.  I really have a surprise for you in some forthcoming portraits, some of which are not bad.  I have had no real goo pictures taken overseas tho.

The cannas annoyed me while at home and you remember me digging out quite a few.  The cacti needed repotting long ago.  A grape arbor over the driveway between house and garage would be rather nice, with an added driveway gate at corner of the house.  There is already part of the grape vine near there.  What are you going to do about the water in the garage?  I always have ideas for yards etc tho that may be impractical.

Richard and Myrtle owe me a letter but it does not make much difference as I am not overly fond of hearing from them anyway.  Too many others of more interest.

I am not surprised to hear of gophers again appearing.  Is the rear lot again being used for gardening?  Blairs never did take care of their yard.  It will be a good thing when she gets out of work again and stays at home I guess.

Received also your 5 air-mail stamps.

I expect soon to again be recalled to headquarters as have done nothing and no one else is either.  Very little use for us I guess anywhere.  Some teams have already been recalled.  And I have the thought of going back.  Well we may of course get a chance for a pass and get the chance to see something again.  I have really seen none of the places very well.  That all started when we arrived at New York.  It has been a rush ever since.  I went aboard the boat on an advance party, the only enlisted men among about fifty officers.  My job as Sergeant Major required that I be aboard over a day early.  We left camp by police escort, sirens and all.  I went thru the tunnel and over the skyline bridge and the chauffeur carried my baggage.  I was quite in style.  Nothing less than a stateroom alone for me after a complaint of poor quarters.  I quit a long time ago going thru a lot of misery from people in the army.  If you do not look out for yourself no one else will.  The channel crossing was on one of Belgium’s pre-war largest boats. And a regular hag pen it was too.  Well enough of this for now and on to other subjects.

Enclosed you will find some German stamps which were sent me by Olson in headquarters.  Quite a few of them knowing I collect them, save them for me from time to time.  71 of them are enclosed.

Received a letter from Muriel the other day also.  She is getting much better about writing for some reason.

The weather has been cold and damp and a jacket is still required for warmth.

We now have a French surgical team here.  Something new.

Thanks a lot and until I write again, all my Love.

Your son,

Stanley