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Contributed by Glenda Lightowler

Letter to Eric, from Eleanor — in ohio

Jan 18, 1943

Dear Eric

You have had to wait a long time for an answer to your letter, but I have been carrying it around with me waiting to answer it ever since.

When I got over here I seemed to have so many to write to, I never have caught up.

I had a very enjoyable crossing as there was good company on the boat and the weather was perfect.

Ou would have enjoyed it ever so much. My companions were 3 young girls and 3 young boys. The girls were all 21 and 2 of them went right from Liverpool with me We were in the same state rooms all our names began with G. Then there was an 18 year old boy and a 21 year old from Liverpool too. At Glasgow another 18 year old joined thse other boys while waiting in a queue. I helped them arrange it so they could be in a state room together. One had a violin and another a mouth organ so we were entertained and we would all sing. The best part of it all was the food. We got a fruit juice and fruit every morning, such as orange juice and prunes — pineapple juice and grapefruit — tomato juice and an orange. Then hot or cold cereal with sugar and cream — toast, butter and jam — 2 egss and ham or bacon with coffee. We had soup twice a day with a full dinner and cake for dessert one meal and homemade fruit pie for the other meal. (They always varied the pie. It would be apple, or pear, or peach — one day fruit salad pie etc. These were better meals than we got on boats in peacetime, and this was Navy cooking for the Navy. These boys sure do alright for food.

Of course we had a little entertainment on board but we had a very quick and safe crossing. It’s really all like a dream now, but maybe you would like some of my first impressions on landing. When we left, there was an awful bit of red tape with censors etc. and some of the things didn’t go too smoothly. At the time I thought it would be all done more efficiently in America. They were very efficient on the boat but our first trouble was at the bottom of the gangplank when they didn’t have enough chip permits for the passengers to get off the pier and we were held up for ages and then customs and censors again and our luggage to be seen to. Some things were even handled worse than in Britain and none better. The only thing was we didn’t have to go quite so long without food here, but that was because the boat gave us a lunch when they found out we couldn’t get finished early. The day we embarked we had an early breakfast and didn’t get another meal until 6 o’clock on the boat. We managed to get a sandwich and drink from a Force Canteen and that was all. One of the boys had a few sandwiches and we all shared those. They were meant from the train ride the day before so they weren’t too fresh.

The boys on our boat were wishing they were girls, as three young girls kept bringing candy, (sweets to you) peanuts, fruit and cigarettes into the stateroom that the sailors or marines gave them. They would take all these things from the boys in uniform and then bring it down and divide it up with the civilian boys.

We arrived in New York during a big holiday weekend so we had an awful job finding rooms. Three of us finally managed a suite of rooms. Two rooms together and a bathroom. The first thing we did was to turn on every light with the window shades all up. There were 22 bulbs lit and did it ever look nice.

In the Rockfeller Centre building group, they have a big outside space between two of the high buildings. Last time I was in New York, in the summer, they were using it as an outside dance floor. This night it was an outside café so we ate there so we could watch all of New York’s bright lights. This same spot is now an outdoor skating rink right in the heart of New York.

We had quite a laugh when someone asked us what we thought of New York’s ‘wartime dim out’. Next to black out we had not recognised it as a dim-out although we had seen New Yorks’s peace time lighting.

The next thing that struck us was all the food and the stores full of everything. We bought peaches and grapes and plums and had malted milkshakes with extra ice cream in and popcorn and just about made ourselves sick. It was midnight by the time we got our train tickets and sent our telegrams and cables, so we decided to go back to bed, but as we passed Rockerfeller Center again the midnight show was going in, so we went in too.

We had to get up early for one of the girl’s trains. I looked up a friend of ours in New York and he took us to dinner and to the top of the Empire State Building before I caught my train.

At first it seemed as though noone here realised there was a war on, however I soon realised how many of the young boys I know are gone. Not many of the married men with children are gone, but I soon discovered that most of them are working 7 days a week and at such awkward hours that their home life isn’t the same.

Transportation has been hit harder than food so that it often takes over an hour or two to get to work. Some of them work different shifts and change those shifts every 4 days or every week. They have to work hard and sometimes overtime so they haven’t much time for themselves

There is a big absence of uniforms around here. My sister is 19 and all her boy friends are in the Forces. No dates for her now — only letters. The camps aren’t around here.

We are beginning to have shortages in sugar, - beef and butter — also coffee like they had in Britain in the beginning. There is plenty of food — no bombs, and no black — outs so most don’t know anything about war, but they are trying to help.

I hope you write and tell me about the R.A.F. Wyn says you will be going into it now. Sincerely Eleanor Gawne

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