18 Sept. 1945

Dinton, Wilts
18 Sept. 1945

Dear Mom,

Did I ever tell you about Edgar Schalliol of
Mishawaka, Indiana. He works in the same office
that I work (?) in. We’ve been going to church
together and in to Salisbury together for a good while.
We finally wrangled a three-day pass together. We
left Saturday noon for the resort town of Torquay
(pronounced Tor-key’) on the southwest coast. The Red Cross
Club closed there a couple of weeks ago, so there
were very few G.I.s around. We had rooms in
the Torbay Hotel, the second largest hotel in the city. We
could only get rooms for two nights so we came
back to camp last night instead of tonight. But for two
whole days we crawled up and down cliffs, went
boat riding, lay on the beach, ate three delicious
meals both days, and slept in the softest bed I’ve
ever seen.

Course, the six meals and room for two nights cost
$8.70, whereas Red Cross facilities for the same period
would have cost $2.50. But it was worth every cent.
After living in canvas tents with five or six fellows
for over a year and a half, only going to a Red Cross Dormitory
occasionally to spend the night in a room with 10 or 20 other
fellows; it did me good to spend a couple of nights in
a room by myself. I would pay twice as much for that
privilege alone. Yes, I could actually stand in front
of the mirror and shave without having someone look
over each shoulder.

I feel completely renewed. If I can go on a trip like
that every month or so, I guess that I can stand another
year over here.

Mom, I simply can’t think of a thing that you could
send for Christmas. Toilet articles, socks, underwear, shoes,
shirts, – I have plenty of. Looks as though junk such
as candy and other eatables is the only thing left, unless
you can think of something.

Well, I reckon I’ll shower, shave, shine, and dine.
If it stops raining I’ll go into town, get a haircut, let
the Red Cross sew some stripes on my jacket, and see a show.

Love to all,
Lawrence