The Society For The Extermination Of Dentists

Mon. 2 April 1945 10:35 a.m.

England

 

Dear folks,

Well still here. In case this letter beats others I shall back up and say that when the cast came off, X-rays showed the bone hadn’t united. It feels about as it has for a year or so but the Dr. decided it wasn’t right and yanked me over here to the hospital last Sat. It’s the life of Riley but I want to be doing something. Yesterday morning after I finished that letter to you it was dinner time. I’m pretty worried about that letter. I am convinced I should have written it but I’m afraid of its eventual results. Time will tell. Dinner was very good – chicken, dressing, potatoes, gravy, bread, butter, asparagus and cherry pie. After dinner I talked to the Dr. a while. So far I don’t know what’s in store for me on this wrist but the way he talked I may be around here quite awhile which could mean losing my outfit. That might be good or bad, it’s impossible to tell. I think I shall keep quiet and see what course events take. I’d like to stick with my boys but I can see this will continue to bother right along so if they can fix it up, well maybe they better. Along about 2:00 in the afternoon I took off on pass. Passes are from 1:00 to 10:00 over here. I caught the bus to town and another bus over to the other town which is my stamping ground. I got a snack at the R.C. and then went out to camp and picked up the mail for the boys (none for me). I stayed there awhile and then rode back to town. It wasn’t a very agreeable day yesterday, quite windy and rainy occasionally. At about 6:00 I met my friend and we went to a show. It was one of those Sunday night “concerts” as they call them over here. It was some English band plus a couple comedians. The band was pretty good and played some real numbers. I never will get anything out of these English comedians. For one thing I don’t understand ½ of what they say and the jokes lack punch anyway. I had to catch the bus at 9:00 to get back over here. The connections run pretty close, but I made it O.K. I was in bed by about 10:30. They set all the clocks up an hour during the night so we lost an hours’ sleep. Proceedings begin to proceed at 7:00 a.m. around here. I got up and got my bed made before I went down to chow – scrambled eggs, cereal, milk, bread, butter, jam & oranges today. I can start a black market in oranges pretty soon here. Ah the pay just came – 5 pounds, 8 shilling, & 10 pence. That gives me 6 pounds, 18 shillings & 11 pence to last me the month. After breakfast we did our housework and were through. I started to write but had to go for a dental check. Yeh, he found 4 or 5 small cavities and then he took a pick to a couple and they started to fall apart so at 1:00 this afternoon I go back for an extraction. They are the last ones on each side of the uppers – wisdom teeth I guess. I tried to talk him out of it on the ground it didn’t hurt but he said by the time it started to hurt it would be infected and then there could be trouble. So I’ll probably have 2 nice sore jaws for a day or so. Boy they don’t miss anything over here. I got my blood type taken when I got back, and now I guess I’m through for the morning. I think I’ll start a society for the extermination of dentists. Oh well. It is a very nice day so far and I have a pass for the afternoon, so I guess I should feel happy. I’d go nuts just sitting around this place. I hope by tomorrow I’ll know where I stand on this and about how long I’ll be here. If they do what they might, it could be 6 or 8 weeks. What a thought. Well that’s about all the dope for this morning. I think I shall go shave and clean up a bit, eat and then be back to see my dentist “friend?” So for today I’ll call this quits and see you later. If they should do anything such as slap this hand in bandages or a cast the mail might drop off so don’t worry if it does. Be seein’ you,

Love,

Son