Skip to Main Content

Payne 48 Letter Images

1943 November 24- envelope, Isabel to Margaret

1943 November 24- page 1, Isabel to Margaret

Related Materials

Citation: Weber, Camille. “Home Front Friday: The Gifts That Keep on Giving.” The National WWII Museum Blog. 11 Jan. 2017. http://www.nww2m.com/2016/12/home-front-friday-the-gifts-that-keep-on-giving/.

Want to Dig Deeper?

Jensen, Barbara A., Andres L. Barker, Lucy Wainwright, Edna L. Mahar, Edna D. Umbach, Elizabeth R. Hamilton, Kate Rodgers, Mary Ann Sullivan, and Margaret Hornback. “Christmas Overseas.” The American Journal of Nursing 43, no. 12 (1943): 1062–66. https://doi.org/10.2307/3456363.

Above is an article about the experiences of soldiers overseas in different countries over Christmas. 

Munson, Simone. “GREETINGS IN WARTIME The Greeting Card Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society.” The Wisconsin Magazine of History 100, no. 2 (2016): 28–37. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26389568.

Above is a collection of historical greeting cards, including ones from John's era in Europe. 

Transcription

Object Description

The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any identifying details. 

  • Contributing institution - Piedmont Historical Preservation Society
  • Collection Name - Margret Payne Collection
  • Language - English
  • Rights - Copyright held by thePiedmont Historical Preservation Society; no reproduction without written consent fromPiedmont Historical Preservation Society.  
  • Notes - Handwritten letter dated November 23, 1943, single spaced. Includes envelope, postmarked November 24, 1943, from Chambersburg PA. 

Inferences and Additional Questions

I wonder what prevented Isabel from receiving John's A.P.O. address, or if he refrained from sending it to her.

Was Margaret aware that John had been deployed to London or was this the first she had heard of it?

Were John and Isabel on good terms? 

What exactly was he working on over there that Isabel thought was keeping him from responding?

Also at this Time - Historical Context

 The A.P.O. address that Isabel was referring to would only be assigned if John had been or was about to be deployed. Following this exchange John begins writing from England where he was sent to. These kinds of addresses are associated with the Army, Marines, and Airforce. A.P.O. stands for Army Post Office address where he would be able to receive mail while overseas. They are delivered through USPS to stations all over the globe as a means of keeping in contact with loved ones stationed far away. The poster above is dated the same year as the letter. It promotes sending mail to overseas soldiers between September 15th and October 15th. Isabel was anxious in the letter because she hadn’t received John’s APO address or heard from him since September 30th. The high volume of mail to servicemen may have contributed to her lack of word from her brother as he prepared to spend that Christmas overseas. Families would send all kinds of things to their loved ones overseas to boost morale at a time normally spent with family. Hallmark released a line of Christmas cards specifically for soldiers overseas (also seen above) that featured an array of patriotic colors and imagery that many soldiers received. 

 

Citation: Weber, Camille. “Home Front Friday: The Gifts That Keep on Giving.” The National WWII Museum Blog. 11 Jan. 2017. http://www.nww2m.com/2016/12/home-front-friday-the-gifts-that-keep-on-giving/.