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 work done and finds diversions both on and off base.
On New Year’s Day he sends his greetings for a happy New Year and writes, “I hope this New Year brings a quick victory. Hope it will be a better year than 1943.” He goes on, “I hope it will not be long before the mess is over.”
Stanley mentions that he “Went to church this morning. We got a Catholic Chaplain of our own now. Before we had a chaplain come over from another base.” He writes that they have Mass “every evening at 5:30” and that the Chaplain is “a Major and is from Benton, Mass.”
The chapel at RAF Deenethorpe. Photo courtesy of Andy Swinnen. www.remember-our-heroes.nl
He also details, that on New Year’s Day they “…had a turkey dinner. It sure tasted good. We weren’t forgotten at all.” Even though the Army is taking care to make sure men of the 401st are treated well, Stanley still longs for home. “It sure felt funny to be here alone on Christmas and New Years. Sure missed you brother. Can remember the good time we had at Christmas and New Year during the previous years.”
Stanley is doing his best to settle into a routine and has “been working pretty hard” with “enough work to last…for some time. Work never ceases.” The workload being what it is, he sort of jokes that “I’ll be the last one discharged from the Army after the war is over. I’ll probably have to type discharges and what not.”
On the 8th he writes that even though he is “doing the work of about three men and it sure kick the pep out of me” and ”when day is done, so am I” he does manage to get away from the office from time to time. “I did go to town two or three times and I did feel much better. I got the work off my mind.”
Other diversions include the occasional U.S.O. show of which he writes, “We have a few U.S.O. shows scheduled for us and [I] am looking forward to them. The last one was pretty good.” Receiving mail also helps as he writes, “Yesterday I received three V-mails from you. Sure glad to hear from you.” He also writes that the received a note from “our cousin Edward [Morawski]”as well as “a letter from ma together with a piece of Christmas wafer in it.” As for other letters from home, Stanley notes that their sister “Anna sure writes some interesting letters about home and also little Terry.”
He closes with a hopeful “…so long for a while till the near future.”