Name/Title
Spalsbury: #47 Letters Home September 21, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.291A-EScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, ASTU 3938, Loyola University, Los Angeles 34, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked SEPT 21, 1943, 3:30 PM, Los Angeles, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.Context
Monday Evening - September 20 1943
Dear Folks,
I haven't heard from you lately. Maybe I would have got a letter this afternoon, but we had no mail call this afternoon. I had a postcard from Kathleen Saturday noon, acknowledging receipt of a letter I wrote her. Then I guess I told you I heard from Barbara Mann - Friday, I believe it was - and she sent a small portrait of herself.
I'm certainly looking forward to coming home on my 10 1/2 day furlough. I think practically everybody here plans to go home now, even the New York boys, now that we're to get 10 1/2 days instead of 8 1/2. It'll cost some of the boys (round trip) $100.00 or more. Lt. McGinnis in assembly today informed us that the school had chartered several buses to take bunches of us home. One of them will go to - or thru - Kansas City, and that's the one I'd take. The roundtrip price will be $49.75. The bus would come out here to Loyola to pick us up Thursday evening, and we'd arrive in Kansas City sometime Saturday morning. I don't see how in the world we'd make such quick time, but that's what the Lieutenant said. We don't even have to worry about getting reservations or going into town. Like I said, the bus comes right out here and picks us up. We'll buy our tickets here, too. Unfortunately, we won't be paid before we leave. There's just one more payday - September 30th - before our furloughs. I've been planning to buy a new billfold and a pair of civilian shoes, but guess I'll wait until after my furlough now.
In order to get off a day and a half earlier we have to stay in for the next three Saturdays.
But maybe I won't get a furlough at all. If I flunk out, I'll probably be shipped right over to Camp Roberts or Camp Haan. Frank Hanlin had another letter from Haglund today - he's at Haan now - he's perfectly miserable there. I wonder if I'd be much more miserable there than I am here. I probably would.
Saturday afternoon Ray Frantz, Robert Olsen and I went into downtown L.A. to the United Artists Theatre, where for 85 cents we saw "For Whom the Bell Tolls." It was good, but "Gone With the Wind" was much better. I went up to get my watch again, but it hadn't come back from New York - or so the man said.
Yesterday Robert Olsen and I were going into Inglewood to church, but we both slept too late. We got up and had lunch, then left immediately for Santa Monica. Two of the civilian students there were driving up there to the beach, so we got a good ride with them. We got out by the beach then walked up the long, steep roadway to the top of the bluff, on which Santa Monica is located. There are large old palm trees and beautiful lawn and flowers all along the top of the bluff. We walked over to Wilshire Boulevard, down which we hitchhiked to Westwood Village, where we planned to go ice skating at the indoor rink there. But - its' closed now on Sunday afternoons, so we walked around for awhile, then hitchhiked on into Hollywood. We walked around there, went over to NBC and CBS, to the USO and had some donuts and punch, to an ice cream parlor for a malt, to the Hollywood Canteen, and to a movie of Newsreel Shorts. We had supper at the Guild Canteen - free, as usual - then hitchhiked back to Loyola by way of Beverly Hills, Westwood, and Santa Monica. It's very beautiful along through those sections - lots of pretty homes and grounds - and is worth the ride, even though it is a longer way back. If we'd gone the other way, we'd have taken a bus from Hollywood to downtown L.A., where we'd catch the No. 5 car to Inglewood, then hitchhike back to Loyola from Inglewood.
I finally persuaded Olsen to go swimming at the Hollywood Y.M.C.A. with me - I've been there twice before. But there was no hot water and they were out of towels, so we didn't go in. Olsen was glad, because he doesn't like to swim.
I have a cold now. It's all in my head - my nose has been stopped up off and on today and yesterday. I'll start wearing undershirts again - I stopped wearing 'em at Pasadena, where it was so beastly hot. It's pretty chilly every morning when we get up - at 6 a.m. - and the fog is really thick. It begins to roll in in the evening.
I just have one necktie now. My other G.I. tie never returned from the cleaners, or was misplaced in the supply room. I'll buy one the next time I go into town.
I wrote Mariella a letter several weeks ago. I sent Warren the pictures and he's owed me a letter a long time now. I wish he'd write. Duane owes me a letter, too.
Hanlin goes in every weekend to Compton now. His girl, Frances, and her friend, Edith, from Fonda, Iowa, work at Avion, and live at Compton with Edith's aunt. Hanlin also has an aunt in L.A.
I'd better stop and get my trig now. I'm still not doing well in my studies.
Love, BobCollection
Marshall WhiteLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
LetterNomenclature Primary Object Term
CorrespondenceNomenclature Sub-Class
Other DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, ASTU 3938, Loyola University, Los Angeles 34, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked SEPT 21, 1943, 3:30 PM, Los Angeles, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.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 and is now stationed at Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA for additional training.
This letter is two pages, front and back, written in blue ink on what appears to be sheets of typing paper. The letter was mailed in a plain envelope with a 6 cent Air Mail stamp. The paper is folded in half and then in thirds.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
