23 December, 1943

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 527 % Postmaster, N.Y.

Thursday, Dec 23, 1943 1400

England

Dearest sweetheart –

This makes ten days since I last heard from you and believe me, dear – it gets hard to take about this time. Yesterday for the whole of Headquarters there was only one letter and that’s the way it has been all week. But then, darling, it seems to me that I’ve mentioned the mail before – so excuse it, please?

Well, where was I then? I guess I wrote you last on yesterday – early afternoon. It was a cold, but bright day and everyone stayed indoors as much as possible. I remained at the hospital until it was time to eat. My squash date didn’t materialize. While waiting for supper – which is at 1745, we played a little Snooker which is a famous English game of billiards. I’ve never had much to do with billiards or pool – but this game is very good for passing an hour’s time way. I met a Scottish chaplain who showed me a few twists to the game. It’s almost as complicated as Bridge, dear. After supper some of the boys had some beer. I didn’t feel like having any. As a matter of fact I’ve done practically no drinking at all in England and I can’t say I miss it. It’s easy to become a hard drinker in this country because everything you have is straight and I don’t like alcoholic beverages that way at all, thank goodness. I’d pay a Crown for a good Martini or a reasonable facsimile. Right now, dearest, my only vice is smoking, and that’s rationed too – so I’m getting purer and purer each day! My health really is improving though – because we get plenty of sleep, food, rest and relaxation. My weight is going up, too, dear and I’m now crowding 170 lbs which is as much as I want to weigh.

Well – the movie last night at the Club was another oldie – “Ship Ahoy”, with Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell. I had seen it at least a year ago, I’m sure – but I sat around and saw it again. There were a few laughs in it. Tonight they’re putting on ‘Bombardier’ which I saw last summer at Edwards and which wasn’t very good. I know I won’t be able to see that over again. I’ll either play squash or go to bed earlier than usual, dear.

I’m listening to my radio now. The program has changed. I thought I had an English station on, but I found it’s another one of those blasted German stations. This one is broadcasting from Bremen and is now giving the news – in English. It’s amazing how they distort the details so that one would think the Germans were attacking on all fronts. Their broadcasts in German are just as false and you wonder just how long they can keep up their lies. Take it from me, dear, the Germans are taking an awful pounding from the air.

I can’t seem to believe, darling, that it’s only two days before Christmas or a little over a week to New Year’s Eve. I’m going to be blue as all hell on New Year’s Eve, I know. If I had some liquor I’d get tight and try to forget for a couple of hours – but that wouldn’t help very much.

Pete and I have put in our applications for a 48 hour pass starting Monday Jan 3 at noon and ending Wed. the 5th at noon. I just want to get a look at the city that used to be the world’s largest. By the way, I’ve inquired about calling by phone to the States and it’s no soap. It is not open to soldiers – so that settles that, dear. It used to cost about £8 or about $32.00 and would easily have been worth it to be able to hear your voice for 3 minutes. If I arrive in N.Y. on my return, Sweetheart, I’ll call you from there – just to make sure you’re around when I hit Boston. My mind’s running away with me, I guess – so I’d better cut out that line of thought for awhile. I’ll stop writing for now, darling, but I won’t stop thinking of that day that we’re both dreaming of.

So long, dearest, until tomorrow and I do miss you terribly, sweetheart. For now, as for always

All my love

Greg

Regards to the folks

* TIDBIT *

about "Ship Ahoy"

 

 

First, from YouTube, this wonderful trailer...


"Ship Ahoy" Trailer

And here is an interesting note about "Ship Ahoy" from the Turner Classic Movie site:

Ship Ahoy was originally called I'll Take Manila, but by the time the film was released in May 1942, the Japanese had taken the Philippines. The result was a new title, a new setting (Puerto Rico), and a new song: the number "I'll Take Manila" became "I'll Take Tallulah"! That would be Tallulah Winters, the name of the character played by Eleanor Powell. She's a dancer with Dorsey's band on a passenger ship to Puerto Rico. On board, she gets involved in a spy plot involving stolen plans for a new weapon. Red Skelton, Bert Lahr and specialty performer Virginia O'Brien (with her trademark deadpan style) provide much of the comedy, but really it's the music and dancing that are the show here. Variety thought so, too, calling the picture "grandiose silliness" and praising the music above all else. The reviewer also declared Lahr to be "the comic mainstay of the film," outshining even Skelton, who had only recently become a star thanks to his turn in Whistling in the Dark (1941).