October 30 1944
Dear Mother + Dad,
I’m sitting here at a table here in France with oil cloth on it like some we use to to have many years ago. These two rooms are the closest thing to home yet (still its far from home.) There is only one little invention that don’t believe we have at home. That is the light in the middle of the room is on a pully. You can raise it to the ceiling and use it to light the hole room or bring it down and use it to read by. I guess the reason for that is that is there is only one light in a room over here every one gathers around it.
France may be very modern in some respects but they also have some […]
Before we left for France we had a big inspection as you do before you go any place. It was the first since we left the states. Inspecting are Major Wilson + Captain Davis over B.C. THe main reason for inspection are to see that we have everything and that its clean. Soldiers have a habit of throwing things away that they don’t use such as gas masks, clothing, ammo, etc. These are to make sure you have it all. Its true we don’t use most of it but in the beginning things were tougher than they are now in the those days it could have been possible for things to have gotten tougher.
Now that we are well on the road to Victory still the army remains the same.
Two of the enclosed pictures are of that inspection.
I’m just starting on the book “Under Cover”. It sounds very good. See if Ele can get me a book on Ancient Roman History also some Shakespeare, or the French revolution or any book about France.
Till I write tomorrow
Love as ever,
Bill
P.S. Books on Photography, how to take them etc. would be great.