According to the History Channel, the Germans capture Helsinki during this week. And while Herb is writing this letter, the British are evacuating Passchendaele Ridge. I read a little about this area here. Apparently for some, the battle to win the Ridge is as infamous as the Somme. I am learning new things.
April 15th (1918)
Dear Mother,
I haven’t had any letters in a week or so but day before yesterday the mail man very kindly brought my package of tobacco all intact. I certainly was glad to get it, too. Nothing could possibly be more acceptable.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary routine around here. The weather has been very bad lately – rain every day and mud everywhere of course. I don’t have to be out in it much so it’s not so bad but a little sunshine would be very acceptable. However May will soon be here.
The Sector has been very quiet lately and there have been very few wounded coming in, so we don’t have very much to do.
I have a new “Bunkie” now, the French clerk. He’s an awfully nice chap, a Parisian and we get along together very nicely. He speaks very fair English, too, and we are helping each other out. A few weeks ago he went to Paris on leave. While he was there the trains that take men on leave back and forth were discontinued and he spent a bad two weeks returning. He certainly was glad to get here, so there must be lots worse places than this. I’d certainly rather be here than in some American base camp. A month of that was enough for me. Of course it’s nice to be with a lot of Americans and the Y.M.C.A.’s help a lot but up here we’re much freer in every way.
By the way the next time you send me a package of tobacco or anything send a few tubes of toothpaste. I’ve enough to last quite a while but I don’t want to have to resort to this French stuff. It tastes all right I know, because I’ve sampled it but it doesn’t clean.
Love to all,
Herb.
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