May 10, 16 and 18, 1944: Stanley writes a few V-mails to Dad. He writes two on the 10th and one on each of the other days. Stanley focuses on the everyday details of life at Deenethorpe, including the weather, the movies he’s seen at the base theater, and the many other things that they do on base that are not related to their official Army duties.
The weather in England is improving as winter is gone for good. The tenth “…is really a beautiful day. One of the best we’ve had in a long time…” so nice “…that you feel like taking a nap in the green grass.” Unfortunately the nice days don’t last for long as “…you can just about tell when the rainy days will come. They seem too come in rotation. First you have a few cold days then cloudy then sunny and to top it off you have a few days of rain. It sure is funny weather.”
Stanley has received the news from home that their cousin Eddie Morawski is back in the states after being awarded a Purple Heart for wounds sustained on Guadalcanal. Stanley writes that “He sure deserves to stay in the states after being away for a long time.
Stanley has settled into the routine of processing the payroll for the 613th Bomb Squadron of the 401st Bomb Group, or as he puts it, “Work gets sort of monotonous.” Stanley manages to have some free time. In addition to pick-up sports, he enjoys going to the movies on base. He writes about seeing Riding High starring Dorothy Lamour, a movie that impresses him as “pretty good” although he “expected more”. He also went to see Is Everybody Happy starring Ted Lewis, DuBarry was a Lady starring Red Skelton, and Going My Way with Bing Crosby.
Poster art for Going my Way, the 1944 movie starring Bing Crosby. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GoingmywayBing.jpg
In addition to opportunities for relaxation, there are plenty of opportunities for physical exertion. One comes in the form of some pick-up volleyball, about which Stanley says “…is really good exercise. If you want to sleep good play a few games of volleyball.” Another such opportunity is the Army physical fitness test which includes “running, pull-ups and sit-ups” that left him with “a few sore muscles.”
Since he can’t really write about his work or what the 401st is doing, Stanley is limited to writing about the day-to-day goings on; like this. “The other day one of the fellows got ambitious and got some floor wax and started to wax the linoleum in the barracks. Well, all the other fellows chipped in and did some work and by the time we knew it the floor was nice and shiny and the dust does not cling so hard to the floor. Am wondering just how long the floor will be clean.”
In other comments, Stanley tells Dad that the sent a Cablegram to mom for Mother’s Day and writes, “I hope she doesn’t get scared of it at first when she sees it.”