March 21, 1945 - Germany

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

1

Germany

March 21, 1945

Dearest Mother:

Well write a few lines this evening to let you know that I received yesterday your well received letters of February 26 and of March 2.  And as you mentioned the former is the largest letter ever received from you.  I will not endeavor to answer your questions now other than the flower ones.

The Wastonias I do want you to take some of as long as they reproduce so rapidly Or think all of you wish.  The Fuchsias can all be left behind.  The Ivy you can take slips of but take none from the ground.  The cacti of course would all be nice to take along and repot at some future time.  I did not mention the Rhubarb since you I imagined would take such things.

Also in the mail yesterday I received a letter from Aunt Dell and a roll of film from Thelma which I will have to answer for soon.

Enclosed you will find two sheets of Dutch stamps which the boy at the house in Holland gave me while there.  These are all German printed and as I understand these are the entire set of those printed.  I think these are quite nice.

The other day while still at my last station.  I had the chance to go to one of the large mansion nearby and you can well imagine my delight at going over.  In the barn there were some very beautiful carriages, one in particular was black and all shined with red velvet cushions and interior and the thing really had good springs for a change.  The green box was full of rare plants and the house had a beautiful solarium full of plants such as azaleas, camillias, ferns, cyclamen etc.  The lace curtains at the windows were really beautiful as well as everything else in the house.

I have started once again to use the numbering system on my letters and will continue since I have a system now for keeping track of it.  This one will be No 1 again.

Well all for now and more again.

All my Love

Stanley

26 stamps enclosed

Dulken, Germany - March 1945 - 105th EVAC

February 16, 1944 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Holland

February 16, 1945

Dearest Mother:

I have nothing much to write about today but will write a few lines anyway to let you know I still am able to write.

The weather here today has been beautiful and Spring seems just around the corner.  The trees here all look as tho they would soon be in bud, but they tell me it is too early for Spring.

I suppose my little apricot tree is thinking of starting to bloom.

We are getting on quite well with our family and find them quite interesting and agreeable.  I am learning quite a bit about the Dutch people and their customs.  The little boy, that is the smallest one, who is seventeen, got me a set of very beautiful stamps the other day.  They are some which were printed while the Germans were here.  I will send them along with another money order.

W have worked part of the last two night and I like being back to work again.  One thing I really would like to have done tho would be to have gone to Brussels as we had planned.  I never even went to Liege again even as close as it was.

I am now just about caught up with all my writing and am now waiting for some more to answer.  Our mail has been very scarce here recently.  I have heard from Mrs. Tedesco and Miss Mosher in last few days.  Miss Mosher sent her letter in two V-Mail forms typewritten.  So it makes a very nice letter.  I still owe one to Joseph and will have to get one started to him.  I always like to write a nice long letter to him as his are always so generous.

The father here just showed me a new pair of shoes he bought and they have wood sole on them and he tells me they are nix good (no good). Altho they do have a rubber heel of some kind.  The little girl here is quite a housekeeper.  She does all the mending, cooking etc. since there is no mother in the family.  She is only thirteen years old.  They have a hired girl although.  The mother was killed as a result of a bombing last September.  All four children speak very good English.

I want you to send me another tablet of this type with some more envelopes, plain and air mail, also some more of the chocolate and also a can of shrimps it they are not to(o) many points.

Well about time to bring this letter to a close and I remain as always.

All my Love,

Stanley

January 10, 1945 - Holland

Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976

5^th Auxiliary Surgical Group

APO 339

c/o Post Master

New York  New York

Holland

January 10, 1944

Dearest Mother:

Will get this off to you today and hope it reaches you as soon as it would have if mailed yesterday.

Outside the window this morning there is a beautiful scene of winter.  The large trees and the smaller evergreens are all as they would be seen on a Christmas card and the dormant shrubs are simply beautiful with the ice and snow here and there are a few little birds sitting in little groups of chirping now and then.

We are now through with the inventory and I am rather glad as we have done the same thing about three times previously and it is becoming worn out by inventory.

Received a letter yesterday from Ray Coates in San Antonio.  He had a nice idea for a Christmas card on V-Mail which he made himself.  The design was of two deer holding up a sign entitled Camp Mystic and above “Greetings from”.  In all a very nice block print accompanied by his photo small size.  At the base he wrote his letter.

As to the plants which I want saved I will start at the side bed on the East side of the house.  I want nothing saved from there.  The East front bed you can save the spider lily and the other bulbs to the right of steps (snowflakes and scilla) also the tuberous if they still exist and take a few of the white crocus aloud the border.

In the West bed front and the driveway strip between house and drive I want nothing saved since there is disease in there and should not be transplanted anywhere.  I can think of only the narcissus and the roses along Miners’ fence and would like some double poinsettias.  They should all be pulled up if you leave.  In the rear bed you can save some of the cacti and the red rose.  Along and around the garage I certainly want the gerberas and perhaps samples of the carnations and I would like the grapes.  In the rear bed along the fence I want the yellow Iris and a few of the purple ones.  In the beds along the fence I want the bulbs.  They perhaps are coming up now and you may have to take them up if so merely heal them in somewhere.

And above all the Iris (Dutch) that are at each end of the bed.  The tree should be destroyed.  The cymbidiums of course should be taken up.  That is the two which are in the ground and placed in pots.  The Caladium (elephant ears) should also go along and also the Nile Lily and the ground orchid next to the Belbergia, the one I had stakes around.  Also the Belbergia (Poor man’s orchid) I want some of.  Otherwise I can think of nothing else other than potted plants and of course things you want.  You should prime back everything you move.  If the bulbs have not come up yet and you are going to move.  Take them up and put them in wooden boxes with soil as they very likely will leave started to sprout.  Then tear the box apart and set them in the ground elsewhere.  This is about all for now on the plants so enough of this.

I saw a very interesting any good picture the other day, entitled “Old Acquaintance” [1]with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins and found it very good for a change.  That is from the old type of silly card, same old story type.

Well this is now about all I can think of for now and will write more later.

Enclosed find some *4) German stamps which you may add to my collection.

All my Love,

Stanley

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[1] http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review/oldacquaintance