Spalsbury: #109 Letters Home December 31, 1944

Archive

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St. Joseph Museums

Name/Title

Spalsbury: #109 Letters Home December 31, 1944

Entry/Object ID

2021.2.353A-C

Scope and Content

Letter Home from PFC. Robert C. Spalsbury, 17135556, Co A - 216 Armd Engr Bn, A.P.O. 412, Camp Chaffee, Arkansas to his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Spalsbury, 806 S. 11th St., St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post Marked DEC 31, 1944, 5:30 PM, Fort Smith, Ark., 8 cents Air Mail stamp with a red, white and blue Via Air Mail sticker below the stamp. This is the first return address that indicates Robert's promotion from Private to Private First Class. Interestingly, he does not mention his promotion in his letter.

Context

Saturday Night - 30 December '44 Dear Mom and Dad --- It was sure good to talk to you a little while ago. I'm sorry I still couldn't make it home over New Years, but when you've got a job to do, you can't just step out on it. I'm wondering when I'll ever get caught up on my letter writing. Probably never, as usual. I didn't have time to tell you how I enjoyed the Xmas box - everything in it. Everything is just about gone except the Lipton's Noodle Soup, and the Pimiento cheese. It was all very delicious, and many thanks. Being combined C.(?), Mail Clerk, and one of the Company Clerks is really a problem, especially so since it involves the fellows to such an extent. They're continually worrying about their mail, what's holding it up, etc. A lot of 'em seem to think that I'm the sole person responsible for their mail not arriving when they think it should. Well, I guess that's to be expected. T/5 Horzepa, Company Armorer, and I are sitting up here on the balcony of the Service Club. The Xmas decorations are still up - silvered trees with vari-colored lights. Being Saturday night, the place isn't very crowded, which makes it nice. Well, lights are blinking here, which means it's time to go back to the company and hit the hay. Hope to be seeing you. Love, Bob.

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Letter

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Correspondence

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Other Documents

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Archive Items Details

Title

Letter Home from PFC. Robert C. Spalsbury, 17135556, Co A - 216 Armd Engr Bn, A.P.O. 412, Camp Chaffee, Arkansas to his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Spalsbury, 806 S. 11th St., St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post Marked DEC 31, 1944, 5:30 PM, Fort Smith, Ark., 8 cents Air Mail stamp with a red, white and blue Via Air Mail sticker below the stamp. This is the first return address that indicates Robert's promotion from Private to Private First Class. Interestingly, he does not mention his promotion in his letter.

Description

Handwritten letter home to parents back in St. Joseph after being called up to serve in the US Army during WWII. Pvt. Spalsbury, at the time of this letter, has completed Basic Training at Camp Callan, California, was stationed for a short time with a STAR Unit for ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) soldiers in Pasadena, CA then moved to engineering training at Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA. After flunking out of the ASTP program, Robert was briefly stationed at Camp Roberts, located in central California assigned to the Infantry Replacement Training Center. Then Robert was stationed at Camp Haan in southern California, a U.S. Army training camp for Coast Artillery Anti Aircraft gunners. During his time at Camp Haan, Robert was transferred from Battery B to Battery A and began working as an office Clerk in Battery A. At the time this letter was written, Robert is serving at Camp Chaffee at Fort Smith, Arkansas. He had been working as a Clerk-Typist in the HQ Company then transferred to Line Company A. He now has the job serving as Mail Clerk for the Company. The return address of this letter indicates that Robert has been promoted to Private First Class (PFC). He also indicates having officially taken on additional responsibilities in addition to serving as Mail Clerk for Company A. This letter is one page, front and back, written in blue ink on Camp Chaffee, ARK Service Club Two stationery. The letter was sent in a plain envelope. The page is folded in thirds.

Dimensions

Height

8-1/2 in

Width

5-1/2 in

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Robert C. Spalsbury