George's Letters: 2-3-1943

Feb 3, 1943
10:00 P.M.


Darling George,


   Well, now that I have the scrubbing done, and the house cleaned up, and the clothes sprinkled, and a story in a magazine finished, and two candy bars ate, and the supper dishes all done and put away, I guess I can take time out to answer your last letter. Oh yes, I forgot, I had to put the two small boys to bed and answer the telephone a dozen times and burn the waste paper. Gee, whiz, I'm not at all busy, or am I? No wonder I haven't written to you.
   I believe I wrote and told you that they took Mom to the hospital and operated on her. Well, she is coming along fine and will be home in about a week if nothing further occurs.
   Believe it or not, I'm the boss now, and what I say goes, by golly. I get up about 5:30 or 6:30 in the morning and get myself all ready to get to work and breakfast for five of us and dad off to work and the two small boys started on the process of getting their small chores done and ready to leave for school by 8:30. Then I work all day from 8:00 til 4:30, then I get home about 5:00 and help dad get supper, then I have to do all the work there is to do when you try to keep house and work all at the same time. I get up and do the washing and clean house real good on Sunday.
   However, I don't mind doing it as long as I know that my mom is going to come home all well.
   Well, it was 10:15 P.M. when I went to bed, so here I am again. This is Sunday, Feb.7 afternoon about 6:10 and before I get started to clean up to go to a show with my girlfriend. I have accomplished a lot today. I've washed, done all the ironing, cleaned house, washed and fixed my hair and got three meals. So you see I go at an awful high rate of speed. There isn't any news outside of the fact that they have rationed shoes here in the states. We are having Spring thaws right now. My mom is much better but don't know when she will be home. I've got to sign off now & get over to the hospital to see her. Good - by for now, my darling. With all my love to the sweetest guy.


Ethella

George's Letters: 1-4-1943

Jan 4, 1943


Darling George! Happy New Year!
   Well, it seems to me as though I owe you a letter. But you should know by this time just about how hard it is for me to get one written. I'm in a defense plant as you know all ready, Collins Radio Company to be exact. All we've done out here all evening is sit and talk and write letters. Boy, have we been busy! It is just one hour until we can all go home and get to bed. Oh, happy day! I'm in the shipping dept. and for some unknown reason we haven't had a thing to do tonight. I'm on the shift from 5 till one in the morning. It is swell to work those hours as we can keep our minds off those things that would generally bother us if we were home all evening. It keeps me from getting lonesome for you. Of course, I am any how, but I suppose I will just have to wait until this is all over before I can call you my own, then I suppose I'll have to fight a war all by myself to keep you all my own. I'll be so darned glad when I can kiss you again and be in your arms that I will probably faint or pass out on you when I am.
   I haven't been doing any thing of interest lately only working and sleeping. I don't get home from work until 1:30 A.M. and by the time I read the paper and get to bed it is two o'clock and then I go right to sleep and sleep through until any time between 9 and 12 noon. Then I'm up all afternoon and have to get all of my work done between the time I get up and three o'clock, so you see I really don't have very many spare minutes. I'm off from 1 A.M. Saturday till five o'clock Sunday afternoon and the only thing I accomplished this weekend was getting my washing and sewing done.
   Well, I'm home now and it is 1:40 A.M. and before I go to bed I am going to finish this letter so that it will get mailed tomorrow. At the same time I'm finishing up the bottom layer of a box of cherrie chocolates. Boy, are they good! Sure wish you were here to help me eat them.

   I spent a very dull and boring New Year's Eve, but I couldn't help it any. All of the kids that I ever went with are gone or else had dates so I went up to danceland as I usually do by myself and met a whole gang of girls and a bunch of kids from Collins. I just about bawled when midnight got here and there was nobody kissing me. Honestly sweetheart you will never know how I felt. To tell you the truth, I just don't care to go any where any more at all because I don't have any fun. I know I shouldn't talk or feel that way but it is the truth. I suppose you had a very wonderful evening. What did you do? Write and tell me about it. It is snowing and blizzarding and has been all day yesterday and is right now. Dad tried to teach mother to ice skate on the river the other day, but for some unknown reason she couldn't stand up. Boy, did I laugh at them. Dad got released from the doctor Saturday afternoon so tomorrow he goes to work all day, and the kids go back to school so I'll get to sleep without so many interruptions. (All I have to do now is hit Grandma in the head & keep her & the radio quiet and the neighbors out and the telephone from ringing then I can sleep in peace!) Ha! Ha!
   I went up and had my eyes tested and Dr.Stansbury told me I was missing out on half of my life so he sent me & a prescription over to Pigg's (could be Rigg's?) Optical Company and now I wear glasses all the time. They have pinkish colored rims and are tinted and non-breakable. They are very nice, only for the fact that they get awfully dirty.
   Well, my sweet little darling, I'm awfully tired and my hand aches and Mom just hollered at me to come to bed, so I guess I had better tell you how much I do miss you and how much I do love you and finish this for tonite. I miss you so much that I could just bawl at times because you aren't here. And you will never know how much I do love you until you get back here. I'll even be "persuaded", as you put it, to be a bad girl then, but not until then.
   Well, sweetheart, good-night for now, and good-luck to you on your journey and don't give up the ship, remember, I'll always be here waiting for you.


With all my love to the swellest guy on earth.
Lots of Love and Kisses,
Ethella


Excuse the pencil, my pen is out of ink and the factory doesn't have any.


P.S. When is your birthday and how old will you be? Don't forget to answer this as I want to know & it is very important that I find out!
E.M.




HISTORICAL NOTE: The reference to George's "journey" refers to the ship he was stationed on , the U.S.S. Token, being commissioned on Dec 31, 1942. From the Wikipedia page:


"USS Token (AM-126) was an Auk-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.

Token was laid down on 21 July 1941 at Chickasaw, Alabama, by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on 28 March 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Hunt Ross; and commissioned on 31 December 1942, with Lt. Comdr. William H. Harrison, USNR, in command." 

Here is a link to the full Wiki page for the U.S.S. Token:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Token_(AM-126)

George's Letters: 12-24,25-1942

December 24, 1942

Dear George!

   Merry Xmas! Sweetheart! This may be the day before Xmas but by the time you get it, it will probably be New Year's day.

   For heaven's sake, why haven't you written to me. I've just about went "Frantic"!!! waiting for a letter from you. Everyday when the mail man comes around I'm right there to see if I got a letter from you. Did you get the package I sent to you? If so, how did you like them and were they in good condition? I certainly hope so.

   I have some very good news for you. I started to work last Monday night at Collins Radio Company. I work from 5 til one o'clock in the morning. I'm in the shipping dept. and we aren't very busy right now. We just finished an order for spare parts for radios for the navy. These things go all the way to Africa. Any how, the five girls in that dept. work so fast that they can't keep up with us. Well, so much for that! Now, you know what I do all evening. I don't have to work Xmas nite so I guess I'll go to danceland for a change. I don't have to work New Year's eve, either.I don't know what I'll do then. Any how that is too far ahead for me to say just what I'm going to do just yet.

   Well, I'm going to have to finish this later, as this little war worker has to get ready to go to work. See you later!

   Behave yourself at that U.S.O. dance tonite, and leave those southern babes alone? Do you hear?!

December 25th, 1942 3:00pm

   Merry X-mas! For sure this time my dear sweetheart! I got the most wonderful Xmas present of all by getting your letter when I got home this morning. After I read it I went to be and bawled myself to sleep because I wanted to be near you so badly during the holidays. I couldn't hardly stand it while the girls on the assembly line were singing carols last nite. You will never know just how much I do miss you and I do love you until we get to see each other again. I'm glad that the package arrived o.k. and that you liked them. I don't know that it is just a good thing that you are not here. Boy, if you were here would I be the happiest girl on earth. No kiddin' either! Yes, darling, I hadn't had a letter from you for two weeks until this one I got last nite. I was afraid that you had all ready been shipped out and I was just petrified every time I thought of it. Boy, you sure have it easy, sitting around in the lounge like that are you (illegible word). How was your Xmas dinner? Fine I hope. Have you still got your negro to guard.

   Yes, my darling I knew what you meant by being persuaded but I was just curios as to know what you would say about it. Maybe I wouldn't be bad or at least not mind ii (being bad) if you were here to receive me for being bad. (How about it kid?) No, I don't imagine I look any different than most women when they haven't any clothes on. Maybe you do know and just are bashful and won't say anything about it. Oh ya! If I had you here, I sure would paddle you for opening that box. Ha! Ha! Darling, I enjoy your not getting me any thing for Xmas, because what you did do with your money was a lot more sense! I was more thrilled to think that you bought those two $100 war bonds. Darling, I'd have been very disappointed if I had received any thing from you then found out later that you were going to spend the money for war bonds, besides, they'll do both of us a lot more good.

   Well, now for what the old (illegible word) got me. I got two prs of the most beautiful pink silk pajamas and I proceeded to put one on and I'm going to save the other pair, to wear when I get to go on my trip. In case you are still in the U.S. or even home, I'll wear them when I come to see you! Oh joy! I can hardly wait to wear them. I got a lovely yellow moonstone ring from the lady I used to work for. A small wooden pin, a wooden bracelet, a bottle of "Tweed" perfume. Boy, does it smell. I put some on this letter so you can smell it. (arrow) The perfume is here. Have a whiff so you will know what I smell like. A gold soft chain necklace, a teddy bear pin, and a corsage of red white & blue flowers, nail polish and polish remover, and a real fancy sachet for my closet. Any how I didn't get the compact or the bracelet, so I guess I'll just have to buy them myself.

   Well, darling, I'm very much relieved that I heard from you, but I do wish that you were here with me. My sweet. I've got to end this now and go up stairs and get dressed, it is now 4:30 and I should be asleep. Any how, my smallest brother got an airplane that runs in water so me & the two boys are going up and play in the bath tub in the water with the airplane. Got to go now and please don't wait so long the next time to write.

   Good-bye for now, my dear darling, and I really mean it too. With all the love that any girl could possibly give to the fellow she loves. See you later. Sweetheart! 

   All my love from the bottom of my heart. If I had you here I would kiss you and love you to pieces. Lots of love,

Ethella

(written in margin at bottom of page)

The Xmas card was very cute and the picture was very good & sweet too.