Tuesday

In England, it’s a warm spring day, and Verne writes in his diary . . . .

03-13-45

Stand down today. Surprising since it is such a beautiful day outside. We spent all morning shooting skeet and taking gunnery training. Purchased a $60 money order for myself toward a furlough.¹ My pen arrived today and it is very swell.² Hardly know how to use such a good one for a change. Another no letter day. Battle order tomorrow.

Before the noon meal, Verne wrote a letter to his wife:

3-13-45

Dearest Sweetheart,

Gee, honey, I received a very lovely birthday gift today. That’s right my fountain pen arrived.

Thanks a million darling. It sure is swell. The color is exactly what I would have chosen and it writes perfectly. Its going to be hard getting used to writing with a decent pen but it will be a task I thoroughly enjoy doing.

We are still having some additional training but we enjoyed this morning’s work since all we did was shoot skeet with shotguns and you know how much I enjoy shooting of any kind. Wouldn’t it be swell if I were only home and we could be out pheasant hunting? Do you remember the day we set out from Aunt Annie’s with the four ten & the 12 ga. shotgun. I’ll never forget how you yelled for me to shoot two birds we flushed along the ditch. To this day I’ll never understand why you never banged away with the four ten.

I bought a postal money order this morning with all the money I had so I would be sure and have some for our flak leave when and if we get one. Don’t expect it to come through until about the tenth of net month so perhaps I’ll have enough saved up by then to afford going. Seems silly to spend any money just to get a rest but believe it will be best to do so.

Are you having any trouble getting along on the varous allotments that you are getting? If you are darling be sure and let me know and Ill endeavor to send a little extra home every pay day. It wouldn’t be very darn much but perhaps it would help a little bit.

The only salt and pepper shakers that are around here are the ones made of .50 caliber shells. I’d much rather send Mary Anne the four dollars they cost than I would buy a set. Maybe my values are screwed up, but I think everything purchasable over here is more like junk than anything of ours is.

Mike & Joe should develop the first roll of pictures I took very soon so perhaps some of my letters in the near future will contain the negatives of them.

We are in a quandary about what will happen next since the papers and the radio all making so much of the fact that our usefulness is at an end over here. It looks as if we shall be sent directly to another theater of war but we still have high hopes of getting home first. Personally I’ll wait until all personal danger is past before I worry about the other too darn much.

Well, honey baby, its time to eat and get started on the afternoon activities so will close until later.

Verne

The letter was passed by 2nd Lt. Roy R. Creasman, Jr.³, the crew’s censor, and sent via Air Mail with a postmark of March 14, 1945.

Notes & Commentary

¹ In situations where banking accounts were unavailable, purchasing a postal money order in one’s own name was a way to save money and prevent its theft.

² His wife sent him a fountain pen for his birthday which would be on March 18th.

³ Roy R. Creasman, Jr., pilot of Combat Crew 87.