Name/Title
Spalsbury: #62 Letters Home December 10, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.306A-FScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, ASN 17135556, Btry B - 778th AAA Bn, Camp Haan, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked DEC 10, 1943, 11 AM, Camp Haan, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.Context
Wednesday Evening -
8 December 1943
Dear Mammy, and Pappy, and Pat -
Here I am back at Topside. There've been some changes. It must have been raining while I was gone, because there are gobs of huge puddles and ditches filled with water. I almost stepped into one last night. --Most of the boys in the Battery are out on a field maneuver. Boy, I was lucky to miss it! They left Monday and will come back on Friday. There are about twenty fellows around - for Guard, details, and to look after the Battery. --- The high range of mountains far off to the east is covered with snow --- they're really pretty, especially when the snow reflects the colors of the sunset. ----It's still chilly here during the night and morning - in fact, I believe a little more so than when I left. ---One of the fellows in the Battery - a fat guy about 26 - was killed in an auto accident while enjoying his weekend pass in L.A. The Cpl. who was with him (also from the Battery) was injured, and will be in the hospital quite a while. --So you see there have been a few changes.
The train pulled into Colton yesterday morning about 10:30. I took the bus to Riverside. After checking my bags and field jacket at the USO, I strolled up and down the streets of that pretty town. I drank in the warm sunshine and clean fresh air. It was really nice. I stopped and had a big hamburger and choc. malt, then went to a theatre. I saw two good pictures - "Claudia" and "Hit the Ice." Then, after getting my luggage, I caught the bus to Camp Haan, which costs 15 cents.
I set up my cot, made my bed, and hung up my clothes after getting my barracks bags from the supply room. I also got my two pairs "G.I." shoes (back from repair) and my two parcels of laundry. There was quite a bit of mail that had accumulated, too. There were the Sunday papers of Nov. 7 and 21, a Griffon News, a letter from home, a V-Mail letter from Warren, and letters from, - Frank Hanlin, Jack Planalp, Libern Roberts, Kathleen, Duane, Aunt Nell and Uncle Charlie, and from church. It was sure good to hear from all the kids. Hanlin said he was about ready to flunk out of Term II at Loyola - said he got F in math and chemistry at the end of the first three weeks. --I can't imagine him flunking out - he did so well in Term I. Planalp's in love with Rollins College and Winter Park, Florida, and really enjoying his work. -----Lilbern's still attending airplane mechanics school at Keesler Field, Miss., and isn't too fond of it. -Warren was still in Hawaii when he wrote. ---Some of this mail was late, because it was forwarded from Loyola and Camp Roberts.
Uncle Leo didn't meet me in K.C. I arrived in the bus Depot in the Pickwick Hotel at about 9:15, and looked around in the waiting room from him. Not seeing him there, I walked a block to the other Bus Depot, and looked around for him there. Then I went back to the Pickwick and waited til about 9:45. Then I caught a taxi to the Union Station, where I waited around for the Californian; it came in a little late, and we left about 11:30. I didn't have a seat all to myself this time - I had to share it with someone all the way. It was a Cpl. who was reporting to Yuma, Arizona, for desert maneuvers. He had some meal tickets left, and let me use one, so I had one good meal in the diner coming out.
The only thing I left at home that I know of is a necktie. It's hanging on the back of the chair by the closet in my bedroom. You can stick it in my Xmas box. --
I took the box to Speer last night, but he wasn't around. So I left it on his bed.
Guess who I ran across at the P.X. last nite? --none other than R.C. Haglund!!! He was just up to my barracks looking for me. His outfit came back from the desert, and are now in Area 16B at Lower Haan. He says they may go overseas around the first of the year. --We had a darn good time, talking about everything. He doesn't expect to ever get a furlough. - We're gong into L.A. in a coupla weeks.
XXX Love, Spals alias "D????."
[Written along the left hand side of the back of page 2: P.S. - I'm enclosing the bus ticket Uncle Leo sent - maybe ya can use it?]Lexicon
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, ASN 17135556, Btry B - 778th AAA Bn, Camp Haan, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked DEC 10, 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 two pages, front and back, written in blue ink on Camp Haan stationery. 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
