Deenethorpe
Read the Headlines
March 18, 20, 22 and 25, 1944: a handful of V-mails from Stanley to Dad. Uncle Stanley is at Deenethorpe, England with the 613th Bomb Squadron of the 401st Bomb Group. While his squadron has been spending the month bombing strategic Nazi targets in Europe, Stanley has been careful to write about regular base life … Continue reading
Sixteen Months
March 6 and 13, 1944, a few short notes from Stanley to Dad. Stanley has settled back into life on base at Deenethorpe after seeing a bit of the countryside on a 48 hour pass. He’s been given additional help in the office so he is managing to catch upon his work and is taking … Continue reading
The English Sure Like Their Tea
February 17, 21, 27 and 29, 1944. We get a few V-mails from Stanley to Dad. Given the format they are short letters with a lot of single sentence paragraphs. The information is concise and to the point. Apparently in a recent letter Dad had asked Stanley if he would like a pocket chess game. … Continue reading
A Chow Line a Mile Long
February 4 and 9, 1944: Two V-mails to Dad from Stanley in Deenethorpe. Aside from work, Stanley’s days are filled with routine chores like laundry and diversions from the routine including USO shows and the ever present radio broadcasts. Aide from that, it is the dead of winter and Stanley writes about what it is like to … Continue reading
A Military Crease
January 21, 26, 28 & 30, 1944: four V-mails from Stanley to Dad. Stanley is in Deenethorpe, England with the 613th Bombardment Squadron of the 401st Bomb Group while dad is in Topeka with the 21st Bomb Wing. Stanley reports that “life is going on as usual.” He mentions that he is enjoying some music on … Continue reading
The Dampness Gets Me
January 12, 13 and 17: Three V-Mails to Dad in Topeka from his brother Stanley in Deenethorpe. Given the space limitations of the V-Mail format, the self-censorship, and the active military censorship (each V-Mail passes through and is signed off by a censor) substantive information is often hard to come across. However, the V-mails are … Continue reading
Work Never Ceases
January 1, 6 and 8, 1943. Stanley writes several V-Mails from Deenethorpe to Dad. Although the work is piling up, Stanley does manage to get to Mass on Sundays and most Holy Days of Obligation. With New Year’s Day upon him, he is nostalgic for home and simpler times. Nonetheless, he manages to get his … Continue reading
No White Christmas
December 22 and 25, 1943. Two V-Mails to Dad from Stanley detailing his first Christmas in England. This will be the last letter that Dad gets from his brother until the New Year. There are very little details about Stanley’s duties or what the 401st is tasked with doing, for very obvious reasons. Apparently, it … Continue reading
Life in the Blacked Out City
December 10, 16 and 18, 1943. A couple of letters to Dad from his brother Stanley who is stationed with the 401st Bomb Group in England taking the form of a couple of V-Mails and one regular letter. In terms of lag time, Stanley mentions on the 10th that he received Dad’s November 26 letter, so … Continue reading
Time in the Army Sure Goes by Fast
November 19 and 25, 1943. Two V-Mails to Dad from his brother Stanley who is stationed “Somewhere in England”, actually at RAF Deenethorpe with the 401st Bomb Group (H). Stanley’s letters to Dad alternate between longer handwritten letters and shorter V-Mails. On the 19th Stanley is CQ and is passing the time “typing all night trying to … Continue reading