Letter or Postcard – Letter
Sender – Ralph Peterson
Recipient – Phyllis Peterson
Postmark Place – St. Petersburg, Florida
Postmark Date – 22 March 1943
Letter Date – 21 March 1943
Text:
My dearest wife and baby,
Here it is Sunday forenoon and we have had one mail call but I didn’t get none from you. We have another one this afternoon and I hope I get one from you then. It gets kind of lonesome when I don’t get some word from you and now it is more so, as I don’t know or haven’t heard nothing about the baby. All the guys in the room got one or two this morning so it sort of leaves me out. And yes, I did get the Waushara Argus from your Mother and a card from the allotment. All they wanted was to tell me that the payments would start from the first of March, so you will get your first one in April. That will come just about the right time, won’t it? I know doggone well you will need that much, as I guess it takes quite a bit to raise a baby. Today will be a quiet day for me. I feel a lot better today, but I have a lot of work to do. I got to wash out some clothes, take a shower, and shine them [shoes?]. I will lay down and read that old Waushara Argus. I also have to write letters to Alvin and Harold Button. By that time it will bedtime, and you know how I can sleep. You should know because you was always teasing me about getting tired when I was only half done. I still don’t know what you meant by that. Or do I? Maybe if I could see the baby I would start to remember. Now there might be a chance that I will be able to see you and the baby real soon. I am pretty sure that I am getting shipped out this coming week. If so, when I get to my school I can ask for a furlough. The Sarge here said he thought I could get it, as it was important enough. Now don’t raise your hopes too high, as I am not sure whether I can get it or not. If I could get home the same time as Alvin did, that would be all right, wouldn’t it? Say, what the devil has happened to Don and Marian? Haven’t they wrote you yet? They aren’t mad at me for something, are they? A guy just came with a camera he borrowed from somebody, so I’m going to try to get a film and take some of myself. I also want to take one of the hotel I am staying in. I can’t think of much else right now, but will write you some more this afternoon. Maybe I will get a letter from you then. That’s all for now, sweetheart. Just got back from mail call and no letter from you. This guy from Coloma got five today. This is all for now, so will close with loads of love and kisses to the sweetest wife in the world, from Ralph.
Notes: Well, well, the first letter with sexual innuendo in it. Yahoo. Don’t really want to know what Ralph got half done, but there you go. Of course Alvin (Grant) was Mom’s brother and Don and Marian (Leigh) were Mom’s sister and brother-in-law, while Harold Button was Dad’s former brother in law. Harold had married Dad’s sister Merna, who died as a result of childbirth in 1940 when she was just 19.