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Originally posted by Norm Cromie
Karman
I do not know how long after the letter was sent that my mother received it but it is part of a collection my mother had saved and gave me when I came home. My brother did get to read it but at the time it was delivered he was on the high seas on a tanker in the Merchant Navy. He did survive the war.
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Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that your brother made it home and got to read that letter! Maybe a new thread is in order, as well, about censorship of mail during wartimes? I guess a lot of what would have been said was just not said until people returned home after the wars were over. I wish that all could have come home to tell their stories.
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Here are two pieces of history that some of you old chaps will remember. Karman you will note in the photograph I posted above you will see a signature on the bottom left of the center and as you may or may not know all letters had to be censured by an officer which was to me a humiliating and degrading act. Not to mention it sure curtailed my opinion of the army and some of my superiors. Greatly reducing written bellyaching. The Lt. who censored this letter was wounded shortly after in the attack on the Hitler line, He certainly was a very decent chap who had concern for my religeous welfare. When the fighting for Ortona decreased to indiscriminative shelling we had to form up Sunday mornings for church parade. At this time we only had to attend on a voluntary basis. The Lt. asked me to go and I declined he told me I was setting a bad example for the religious values of my men by not attending. Well this particular morning the building in which they were holding the church service received a direct hit from an 88 and there were some casualties,when he returned with the rest of the platoon that morning I can tell you I met him with a big grin ( sort of like, see Sir. us immoral guys have a deep insight.) He never invited me again.
Sorry chaps for the old soldiers war story but war does have its humorous side at times.
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I have no problem understanding that there would have been great moments and flying humour ... the highs and lows must have had an incredible spans between the feelings and thoughts ... how can deep lifetime bonds NOT grow and remain strong through a lifetime? I'll bet that on the lighter side that the cussing, joshing, and talk would have have made more delicate and sensitive peoples ears turn red ...
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I am sure some of you historians out there can tell us whether mail censorship and mandatory church parades were carried out to the end of the war?
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I'd be interested to learn more about these too.
Well ... time to refill my coffee cup
Maybe one day, Norm, we can have a coffee together while you bend my ears, and turn them red?
Karmen