SCREEEEEECH!

 SCREEEEEECH! <throws this machine into reverse>

Another long-lost cache has been found!

Jack's letters to my mother Margaret (Maggie) are in hand and are begging to be scanned. 

Before we go forward, we are going to back up to 1942 and catch up Maggie's letters. Once we're caught up, we'll dovetail the letters. Jack wrote to Margaret much more infrequently, so it will be a (relatively) quick catch-up.

While we're talking speed -- I have to apologize for stalling out. It's for a couple reasons. First, I'm working a job and a half, and it got a little crazy over the last couple months. Secondly, I want to add details about Jack's missions, and my brain was still working out how to do it. So I stalled. 

 

For now.....

Let's throw this machine into reverse and git her goin' again!

 

 

Postcard postmarked April 18 1942

Dear Maggie

We arrived in Denver to late to get 8:30 train so will have to lay over till 5. 

Have had a fair trip so far. It has been raining on us since we left Springer. All of us caught a lot of sleep last night. We slept from about 2-6. there isn't very many boys this trip. 5 from Albuquerque 4 from Santa Fe and our bunch. Louie found his sister and went home with her so I don't have anything to do for a while. I sent Gene a wire and maybe he'll come over from Greeley. Thanks a lot for the billfold. 

 

Love Bill

 

Bill is Jack, and Jack is Bill. Neither are his given name (Bernard). Jack's family is The Family of the Eternal Nickname. Not sure how he got either of them.

 

 

April 22, 1942 (in Margaret's handwriting)

Dear Marg

Well here I am writing you. I just came back from breakfast and don't have any thing to do untill 4 except eat again. Boy how I eat here. I eat more in one meal here than I did all day there. The food has been good so far & so has every thing else.

Carl and I got the swing shift on K.P. all the N. Mex boys got K.P. It isn't bad though all we do is eat while we are on duty. I have been washing pots & pans, even garbage buckets.

Carl & I went to Seattle yesterday morning and walked all over town. It is a rather nice place about like Vegas only Vegas is a little better. You could put Vegas on on block & still have plenty of room. It is a very hilly place every place you go is either up or down hill.

Every thing around here is nice and green the weather is rather chily in the mornings but warms up in the after noon.

We have been having a lot of fun since we started for this place. All we do is eat & sleep. 

Well I had to stop and clean the windows behind my bunk. We have to keep our beds made and every thing clean. It is just like being in the army only with out the strict disiplin. 

It looks like we are only going to stay here 10 days total time. We will then go to work in the naval yards. I will start at $8.48 a day for at least 10 days. I then will take a test. If I don't pass I will get 75¢ a hour for 20 day then take the test again. If I still don't pass I go to school for 30 day at 75¢ It seems like I can't lose. 

I think Carl & I will go over to Bremerton Sun and see what it is like because that's where we have to work. 

 

We have to wear buttons all the time here. If we are caught with out one we get 4 hours extra duty. It also looks like we won't get any training befor we go on the job. Just work in the kitchen.

I wrote Ray a letter, as you probable already know, and told him all about it here. 

Tell Malcolm we might try to find her uncle Sun.

Well I have run out of every thing to write. You see I am not as windy with my writing as I am with my talking. 

Yours 

Bill [with a flourish]

6677 Corson Ave

Seattle Wash

 

$8.48/day is about $128.35 today (about $16/hour if he worked 8 hours). 75¢ an hour is worth $11.35 now. 

 

Apologies for the orientation of this next one.  He wrote on folded paper, and I'm not going to take the time to crop them. I doubt anyone wants to try to decipher his writing anyway!! Start on the upper right, then lower right, then lower left and last page is upper left.

 

 

April 27, 1942

Seattle Wash.

Dear Maggie

I just got your letter and you don't know what a letter does for a guy. Too bad little Bill wasn't there to celebrate with you but such is life.

Talking about washing dishes boy do we wash em. I have washed so many I wish they would use paper plats. We have a automatic dishwasher though. But still theres a lot of work to be done. We have to skrub the kitchen evey other night. 

It seems like us welders won't get any training here but the machinest & sheet metal workers went in the shops today.

Well we went over to Bremerton yesterday and had a nice time. It takes 55 mins. to get over there by ferry. Bremerton is a nice clean little place (30 000) but a very hard place to find room and board. We started to look up Malcolms uncle but allmost missed the boat to get home in time to eat. I had to change my way of living very fast & run (Belive it or not)

It looks like we will leave here 2 weeks from the date we arrived. The pay for me will start at $8.48 a day put will probably be lowered. (read Ma's letters)

Sat we went to Seattle and saw a show & a [____]. You can even smoke in the theaters here. Yesterday we went to Georgetown to mail some letters. It is only about 8 blocks from here but we wanderd off and got lost by the time we got back we had walked about 2 miles. 

I certainly like the country out here. everything is nice and green but rather chilly. It trys to rain every day but that doesn't seem to bother.

There are soilders all over the place here. Every 2 or 3 blocks it seems like there are some soilders stationed. They put up a ballon barage over the whole town every night too. They claim that Seattle will probable be one of the first towns bombed in U.S., but they also claim it is the bet fortified too. Every thing out here is war talk. If this place is bombed we will be in the thick of it because we are only 1/2 mile from Boeing air plant and when we get to Bremerton we will be at the navy yards so things don't look to hot. Talking about navy yards there are a big bunch of sailor in Seattle too.

The camp is swell except for the work. The food is also good when they have some thing I like, but I am getting to eat evey thing except fish. Evey one treats us swell here. 

Say if this gets there befor you send any more boys out tell them to bring all the money they have because if they want to do anything it cost something. The trip to Bremerton cost 95¢ & 2 bus tokens. and etc & etc. Now don't get me wrong and think I am broke because I'm not. 

I have been having a swell time here. Carl & I have been running together but he was changed to Day shift so I'll be the lone wolf unless I can get changed too.

I was telling some Neb. boys about New Mex. Boy I have them scared at even the sight of a mexican. Deep in the heart of Texas is on the radio now I make me just a little home sick. So far I haven't gotten home sick but probable will as soon as I get away from all these fellows & get a job. 

Well don't get to lonesome there or we'll make you come out here. 

Write soon

Love 

Bill

P.S. Don't feel to bad about the dog, may be its for the best.

He's a little looser with Maggie than with his mom. He didn't mention to his mother -- understandably -- the danger that Seattle was facing.

 

Barrage Balloons were large balloons tethered by steel cables and worked to defend against enemy aircraft. Aircraft had to fly at higher altitudes or risk hitting the balloon cables. The balloons could also fire upon the enemy. Notably, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion at Normandy was manned entirely by African American soldiers, the only battalion at Normandy manned exclusively by black soldiers.

 

Just to remind you: Maggie worked for the National Youth Administration (NYA), a New Deal program that sent women and men to school and work. When the war started, they sent them to work for the war effort, but the agency soon disbanded. It's part of the story of how they met. Mom's friend Malcolm was dating Jack's uncle Wayne, and Jack and Maggie were introduced. Maggie helped Jack get a job as a welder up in Seattle through the NYA.   

I'll be linking these new posts back to the corresponding letters to his ma, but these are earlier than the first ones we had from that cache.

 

This going to be fun!