30 Sep September 30, 1944

letter
from: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
Sept 30, 1944
Sat. 8 P.M.
Noteworthy: Dad reveals the pass schedule, complains of political games
in  G.I. voting, thinks he will be discharged in Spring 1945, learns
Mom has money troubles, mentions woes of English money.

Notice my new mailing address, GFRS REPL POOL APO 129i
Dear Alice and Ronnie,

I wasn’t going to write you tonight but things did not turn out as I had
planned so here I am at the local Red Cross trying to listen to the radio and
write you.  You see I had planned on going to London but got a late start
getting out of camp and couldn’t get transportation.  So after waiting for a
bus for two hours and then a train for a half hour[,] finally gave up in
disgust when it began to rain and I learned that there would be nothing until
8:30 P.M.  Besides, I wasn’t supposed to go anyway and when all of those
obstacles confronted me[,] I decided to take the hint and wait for a pass.  I
was just a little afraid that they would have a Sat. night bed check anyhow
this week for the first time since coming to this camp, because this last week
the powers that be have made a few changes and the new faces are trying to make
a good show or something.  Anyhow here I am still in camp and still London no
see.  Oh well if I could just go home I wouldn’t give a damn if I never saw
London.

page 2
[I] Should be getting a weekend pass pretty soon now and then I can go and not
be afraid of getting caught.  They are darn stingy with their passes -- only
get six to a platoon of about fourty men per week, you can see that doesn’t let
very many of us do any legal playing around very often.  Salisbury, the city I
have visited a number of times illegally, has been declared off limits this
week so [I] guess now I’ll have to stay closer to camp than I am exactly used
to doing.  Can’t figure out why they are so damn strict over here with giving a
G.I. a little liberty.  God knows we have little enough diversion as it is.
When ever one has to lay around camp week after week he soon gets down in the
dumps plenty I’m telling you.

No letter again today.  That’s four days in a row now and that’s the result
of some more of the lousy

page 3
way the army runs things over here.  I realize the difficulties in
transportation and all that that they must be having.  But to us mail is
important too.  Of course winning the war is far more important and [I] would
be glad to give up all my letters if I thought it would help to end the war
sooner.

Got paid today.  Three pounds eighteen shillings and six pence.  See if you can
figure out how much I received.  After you have given up turn this over and you
will find out just what I got.  It has taken me some time getting into this
damn English money but [I] think I’ve finally gotten it and now it’s pretty
tough for these tories to short change me anymore.  It’s been done plenty let
me tell you.  You know how the average G.I. likes to flash his money and spend
it, well the Limies like to take it from us just as

page 4
well and many a dollar is dropped here and there because we don’t know, or
didn’t anyhow, what’s what when it came to making change.

There seems to be a considerable lull in the war over here at present and it

looks to me like it’s very probable now that I’ll spend the entire winter
somewhere in the E.T.O. (European Theater of Operations).  Guess the Army is
planning the same thing, as we are getting some more winter clothing this
coming week.  None too soon either as some of these last few days have been
plenty cold when we have to stand or sit around out in it hours at a time.
Back home I would think it normal October weather, but with the dampness and
no heat it makes it quite different.

Well my dears, since this letter won’t go out now until Monday - our officers
do not censor mail on Sundays here.  I think

page 5
I’ll wait until sometime tomorrow to finish writing this and hope in the
meantime I get a letter or two.  Guess I’ll write to Gladys again and send her
one of those pictures and ask her again what has happened to Dick.  I’m having
a hell of a time finding out.  No one seems to want to tell me, including you.
Still haven’t heard from Gladys or Claude since arriving here.  I must have a
lot of letters on the way someplace.  So bye for now and I’ll be writing you
some more tomorrow.  Was going to say I’ll be seeing you tomorrow but guess
that’s a little out of order just now.  Give my little Ronnie a big hug and
kiss for me and have him give you one for me too and I will be seeing you both
someday,
GWS

Sun. 2 P.M.
Received two letters and a card today.  The card from Claude - had been mailed
to

page 6
Fort Meade, announcing their new son.  That card had been around.  One
letter from Edward Hughes sending my application for [a] ballot back to me on
some minor technicality.  Now it’s too late to get it back I suppose, which is
just what I had expected would happen and further increases my intense feeling
for the Democrats.  Of course you will say Illinois has a Republican governor
but Edward Hughes and his bunch are still Democrats.  The second letter was the
one you had mailed Aug. 25th with Chamberlin’s card and the Times clipping.
The clipping by the way is not worth mentioning seeing that it came from such
a radical New Deal paper as the Times.  Can’t understand why Mr. Chamberlin
hasn’t received my letter as I wrote him shortly after arriving here.  I will
write him again and let him know that I hope to be there early next spring to
take over.  Suppose he is getting anxious.  Certainly wish I knew a little more
about how things really stand out there.

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It has turned very cold here today so now I am doubly glad I didn’t go to
London last nite.  However I spent the morning very unprofitably.  Lost a pound
playing poker and when one gets just under four pounds a month that’s a bit too
much to lose in a couple three hours.  However I am still slightly ahead of the
game since leaving the States.

Had some pretty good fried chicken today noon plus peas and carrots, G.I.
mashed potatoes, lettuce and fruit cocktail, coffee and bread and butter.  By
far the best meal I’ve had since reaching England.

This letter tells about your stomach trouble and you selling the typewriter.
Didn’t know you were that bad off for money.  Of course it sounded like you
got a good price for it and guess you didn’t have much use for it anymore.  As
for your stomach, you had better watch that.  You sure it isn’t something else
- such as maybe Junior after all.

Could be, I hope.