Name/Title
Spalsbury: #60 Letters Home November 20, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.304A-IScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, 17135556 Btry B - 778th AAA BN, Camp Haan, Calif. to his parents Mr. and Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked NOV 20, 1943, 11 AM, Camp Haan, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.Context
Friday Night -
19 November 1943
Dear Kids,
It's Friday night which means preparation for the inevitable Saturday morning inspection. A Colonel is inspecting us tomorrow, instead of our usual Captain, our Battery Commander. So we were warned to really "get on the ball." I swept around my cot, "dry-" mopped it with a little water, swept the window screen by my cot with a broom, shined my one pair of G. I. shoes (the other pair is in for repair this week), scrubbed my mess kit and canteen cup with a pad of Brillo, marked some of my equipment with permanent marking ink, etc. I had to go to the supply room and get some equipment which I'd turned in when I left Callan, such as a cartridge belt and field pack. There I also got 8 Anti-Aircraft shoulder insignia to sew on the left sleeve of some of my shirts and coats.
Pop, the News-Press came today, and I read it after I cleaned up this evening. I see where Simon Garelick died on Bataan. Remember him? - he was the repulsive Jewish fella who lived up the street two blocks.
I just returned a little while ago from seeing Hubert Speer and the P.X. and the War Department Theatre No. 3. "Guadalcanal Diary" is on tonight and tomorrow nite. There was such a crowd of fellows waiting in line to see it that after waiting for awhile I decided to go tomorrow night, when it won't be so crowded, since a lot of the fellows will be out on weekend passes. ---Speer was cleaning the outside of the windows in his barracks - they're also having a big inspection tomorrow. I took over the News-Press and told him he could read it if he wanted. But he said to keep it, because his folks send it every week, altho it hadn't yet arrived this week. ---I went over to see Speer the other night. He had a lot of questions to ask about the A.S.T.P. When he first came here to Haan, he was put in a 90 millimeter Gun outfit.
Our basic training was on the 40-mm. Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun, so of course he had to start out anew. And now, like I told you in my last letter, he's on a new Anti-Aircraft Gun, the 4.7 (4.7 inches bore). Like me, he's still a buck private. Contrary to what Mrs. Speer told you, he's been here at Topside ever since he arrived, except for the times his outfit spent at Camp Irwin, in the desert. Also, he's not a cadreman, nor is he training to be one. ----Poor Hubert ---I guess he's been pretty miserable since he's been in the Army. About all he could talk about was the kids back home, some of whom I'd practically forgotten when he mentioned them. Frankly, I don't miss 'em. Speer's mother must be sorta the socially ambitious type - one who pushes her kids to try to make them go with kids who live "on the other side of the track," because he talked quite a bit of them, and as I recall, he used to do the same at Callan. Some of the kids he talks about probably don't even know him. I think four - flushing is obnoxious, because it often gives children an unhappy feeling of frustration, or something like that.
I don't think I'll bother about coming home on furlough, but instead save the money for a more opportune time - perhaps sometime in the spring. Missouri is so bleak and cold at this time of year, and besides, trains will be crowded and everybody will be in the holiday rush, preparing for Christmas. Yes, I think it'd be better to wait until later. Our outfit may not go overseas, anyway. We're not alerted, like Haglund's outfit was. Some of the fellows here think we may be sent back East in a few months for further training. Who knows? You never can tell with all these G.I. rumors and "latrineograms" flying left and right.
All of us new fellows in this Battalion were out all day yesterday on a firing range about 25 miles from Camp. We fired the Carbine and the M-1(Garand) Rifle. So now we've met all our requirements. I'm glad we didn't return until 6 p.m., because the Battery had left earlier in the afternoon on an overnight bivouac. So naturally we got out of it.---Practically everybody here has sleeping bags - they're especially handy when they go to the desert. They can be bought at the P.X. for ten bucks, or thereabouts, but I'm not gonna buy one till I definitely feel the need of one. One thing I really need though, is a new pair of civilian dress shoes. That mocassin-like pair I brought into the Army with me was about half-shot when I brot 'em. I'll have to get a Shoe Permit Coupon from the B.C. (Battery Commander), and go down to the General Store at Haan, where they sell about everything, I guess. I haven't been there yet. I'll investigate a watch for Duane, too.
Speaking of Duane, I had a letter from him today. He's fine, but he says they're really behind schedule, so he' been getting behind on his letter writing. He said he and another fellow spent last weekend in San Bernadino, about 15 miles from here, I believe.
I haven't heard from Warren in a long time. I answered his last letter a few days before I left Loyola, about 5 weeks ago. Have you talked to Mrs. Montgomery lately, Mom? Or have you seen Jenene?
Oh yes, I also had a letter from Barbara today. She's enjoying her nurses' training a lot. -- She's certainly planned on it long enough, so she should.
How do you like the Camp Haan stationery? Really flashy, isn't it? I got a nice big pack of it, including 10 postcards, at the P.X. for 33 cents.
Haglund was screwed out of his furlough someway or other, and he really wanted one, too. A long time ago - while I was at Loyola - he wrote that he would have to fire the M-1, Carbine and Submachine Gun, etc., before he could get a furlough. When I arrived here at Haan, he hadn't fired them yet. Maybe he's fired 'em out on the desert this week. --Haglund went to Clerk-Typist School for 8 weeks at Callan, and he's classified as a Typist, but even with all that he wasn't put in an office. Maybe he'll get there eventually. He's not a bit mechanical, like me, and is certainly out of place on the half-tracks. ---Then there's the case of Maurice Isaacson, who flunked out of Loyola at the end of the first 3 weeks. He was in C-57 at Callan with us. He doesn't type, or hasn't had any clerical experience, yet he's attached to a Battalion Headquarters here at Topside. I saw him over by the P.X. the other afternoon. He said that he isn't doing anything yet - usually sleeps in the morning and goes over to the Service Club in the afternoon - a goldbrickers paradise.
I'm sorry to hear it's cold in Joetown. It's rained off and on here the last two days, and is really foggy and damp tonight. Rather cool, too. I'm glad the mornings here aren't as frigid as they were at Roberts in those tents. Brrr -- I shiver to think of it.
Have the Jamieson's heard from John yet, and do they know where he was sent? He certainly got what he wanted, didn't he?
I'm sitting here in the latrine finishing this letter. It's 10:45 p.m., and lights went out in the barracks at about 9:45. My pen ran out of ink, so I'll just finish in pencil, and not bother to go in and fill my pen now.
I'm staying in this weekend, too. I want to go down to the General Store tomorrow afternoon, and see "Guadalcanal Diary" tomorrow night, and maybe go to church over here at the Theatre 10 a.m. on Sunday. And read -and write a few letters. -And sew my patches on, etc.
I have 15 dollars left. I hope I get paid at the end of this month, because I wasn't paid last month, being at Roberts. I'll have about 50 bucks coming to me. I'll need it for Xmas presents.
Love to you all, Bob xxxxxLexicon
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Title
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, 17135556 Btry B - 778th AAA BN, Camp Haan, Calif. to his parents Mr. and Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked NOV 20, 1943, 11 AM, Camp Haan, 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 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. At the time of this letter, Robert is stationed at Camp Haan in southern California, a U.S. Army training camp for Coast Artillery Anti Aircraft gunners.
This letter is four pages, front and back, written in blue ink on Camp Haan stationery. On the back of page 4, Robert's pen runs out of ink so he completes the letter in pencil. Camp Haan stationery is printed with blue and red images at the top. This includes the Anti Aircraft insignia, two red capital letter As in a blue circle on the left hand side. To the right of the insignia a desert sketch in blue ink features a 40 mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun with crew in the forefront with an additional one in the back ground. Below the sketches, in red ink reads Camp Haan (star) California. The paper is folded in thirds.Dimensions
Height
10-1/2 inWidth
6-1/4 inCondition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
