July 26, 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 - 20

July 26, 1945

Dearest Mother:

Having gone to Marseille yesterday I was not here when your No32 letter of July 12 came so found it upon my return home.  Was of course very glad to hear from you again for it was the first letter.  I have received in a week. Our mail was stopped here for a while.  I know not the reason unless they thought we would be gone by now.

Just finished had a letter started some time ago to Joseph.  My writing has fallen down a great deal here recently, especially with none coming in and nothing of importance to write of.

I liked the two pictures a great deal and I can now have a much better idea of the Lily.  The family group is an interesting one and there are none too many left in this branch of the family are there. You are not smiling any too much tho.

The clippings were amusing and especially the one regarding the piece of vegetables.  Thanks for the stamps.

It is hard for me to realize that Nina will be so old.  How does the time fly by so rapidly?  She is or was still quite attractive the last time I saw her tho.

Quite amused to hear of Jays latest deal on you.  He should certainly be taken down a notch or two.  Who does he think he  is?

I can see him getting away with that again.  He would certainly go without my company for a while if he pulled that on me.

Glad to hear of the jackets and parachute material arriving home.  It is a German cargo chute which was taken from the factory.  Some of the color fades out but remains still quite nice.  Ryan had some handkerchiefs made of it which were quite nice.  The lady washed them  when finished.  Some of the fellows here made scarves of them but of course are not allowed to wear them since they are not GI.

You had not mentioned previously Harry and Fred Kirchner.  What will be their next escapade?

Down in Marseille the other day I noticed in one of the windows a large dish of snails which they must have been preparing for their meal.  A person can get them in a restaurant once in a while.  They have a large foreign population in the city and it all goes to make the city a great international one.  Quite a few Chinese are around.

Ryan has just returned from the Riviera and he has enjoyed it very much.  I did not care to go on the type of a trip they went on as I felt I would not be able to really rest while there.  All that went seem to have had a drunken orgy from their arrival to their departure.  you know is off limits to US troops.  They say the former casinos are no longer what they used to be and no one there at all for pleasure.

Well all for now, and I hope you are all in the best of health.

Always,

All my Love,

Stanley

          Back: Wayne Safford, Edmond "Ned" Safford, Grace Safford, George Safford;
Front: Ella Safford (Edmond "Ned" Safford's wife), Leland Safford, Marie Safford

PS: The picture certainly does not show Marie has suffered any from raising a family.  Florence is certainly showing her age, very likely to her dislike, and Chet certainly looks bad, of course who can blame him.  Marie looks as tho she had not given up any too much for anyone.  She very likely has as much money or more, plus security which she did not have before her marriage to Leland.  She knew what she was getting into when she married a Safford, if not she was certainly a fool!  Or perhaps she was or is or she would not be where she is today.

 "Me" is Muriel Safford, Stanley's sister

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

---

[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