Name/Title
Spalsbury: #63 Letters Home December 13, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.307A-EScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert Spalsbury, ASN 17135556, Btry B - 778th AAA Bn, Camp Haan, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked DEC 13, 1943, 5 PM, Camp Haan, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.Context
Sunday Morning -
12 December 1943
Dear Marie and George -
How are you old kids? I should have written ya before this, but I've been doing other things. I received both your letters, Pop, and your last one, Mom. Pop, you said I could've used the ticket Uncle Leo sent. I couldn't have, I don't think, because it was one from K.C. to St. Joe, and I don't think they let you use it vice versa. It was still a nice thought, though, of Uncle Leo to send it. I wonder whatever happened to the old boy that he didn't show up. I got along O.K., though, and didn't miss the breakfast he was going to take me to, because I had plenty at home.
I've been wearing my "long johns" since I got back, since it's pretty chilly, especially with all the rain we've been having. They really feel good to sleep in, and it's not so chilly crawling out of bed at 6:30 in the morning.
All day Thursday and part of the night we had a big wind. Boy, did it blow! And the dust and sand flew and spread over every damn thing. Then sometime Thursday night it started raining and kept up all day Friday and part of yesterday. You should've seen the rivers of muddy water, and the huge puddles which are everywhere now. The boys came back from the 4-day field maneuver at about noon on Friday, and were they soaked and dirty. I heard a little while ago that an order was out for no more overnight bivouacs, since the rainy season would make 'em too inconvenient and troublesome, I guess. However, we can still go out to Camp Irwin to the Mojave Desert, and probably will one of these days. I don't look forward to it.
I went over and saw Speer yesterday afternoon, after trying several times and finding him gone. He was on K.P. - says they really keep them busy there - because it's a new outfit, I guess. I s'pose the stuff his old lady had me bring was all et up, 'cause he never mentioned it, except to say he found it on his bed when I asked him if he did. I would have liked to have seen what the Reverend sent, and maybe to have tasted it. But Hubert doesn't have any manners; he's pretty messy all the way around. -Not my type at all. -
I just finished a long letter to Arlie and Nave, which I started yesterday and hadn't completed. Yesterday afternoon Pvt. Gross and I took the Camp bus down to Bottomside, to the General Store where he got a haircut and I paid $2.06 for a 2-lb. box of mixed dates for Katie's Xmas present. It was really handy - you just order 'em right there ($1.50) for a 2-lb. box), it costs 25 cents for gift wrapping, and the postage to Kansas was 31 cents.
I'd applied for a weekend pass yesterday, just in case I decided to go somewhere. I was looking at The Camp Haan Tracer (camp newspaper) yesterday, and saw that the Riverside Community Playhouse was presenting the comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," which I've always wanted to see. It was in Hollywood for a long time with the original cast (Boris Karloff, etc.) but I never got around to seeing it. So I dressed up after supper and took the bus to Riverside (25 cents round trip), where iI looked up the playhouse and bought a Serviceman's ticket (55 cents), then walked around the streets until time for it to start - 8:30. I had a dandy seat right on the first row. It was really funny, and well worth the two hours it lasted. You've probably heard the plot - it's about these two, well-meaning old spinsters who innocently poison old men whom they invite to have tea with them to put 'em out of their misery. They have an insane nephew living with them who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, who goes on "expeditions" to the "Canal Zone" (the basement) to dig "locks" (graves) to bury the "yellow fever" victims in. It's really hilarious. I've enclosed the program. The actors were really good, too. - I was surprised.
No, Mom, I didn't lose my lunch on the train. It really tasted good, especially the cake. I'd sure like some more of that one of these days.
No, the Pope boy hasn't come by yet.
I'm anxious to get the prints of that roll of film I left at Leonard's - all 8 of 'em
Lilbern Roberts wants a picture of me, and he's going to send me one in return. So send me a print or 2 or 3 of that snapshot of me with my barracks bag at Callan, and maybe some of that one that Mrs. Montgomery has.
[written on the left hand side of the back of page 2: P.S. - Be sure to send me Duane's address when you get it. I think I'll send him some dates.Lexicon
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert Spalsbury, ASN 17135556, Btry B - 778th AAA Bn, Camp Haan, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh, Saint Joseph 10, Missouri. Post Marked DEC 13, 1943, 5 PM, 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
