June 26, 1944: “…a swell souvenir…”
June 26, 1944
Dear mom, pop, & family,
Thought you’d like a little souvenir of England mom, so I picked this bracelet up from a guy who makes them. READ MORE
June 26, 1944
Dear mom, pop, & family,
Thought you’d like a little souvenir of England mom, so I picked this bracelet up from a guy who makes them. READ MORE
Dear Nova,
Many happy returns of today! I had not forgotten your birthday but I decided to mention it on the day itself instead of trying to time a letter to reach you on the day.READ MORE
In one of the letters Marcel mailed from Berlin, he mentioned having to show his papers to the German police. My guess is that he showed them his arbeitskarte (worker card) which likely included his photo and listed basic biographic information. The arbeitskarte might have also been inked with his fingerprints.READ MORE
Dec. 24, 1943
Dearest Mother and all,
I have been expecting to get a letter from you the past few days but so far no luck. READ MORE
Dearest Wilma:
Received some of your belated mail today, from the 1st, 10th and 23rd of August. Good mail service, eh? Most of the news you have written in later letters. Oh yes! I understand what you mean about your social security card, now. Wilma! I am surprised at you!READ MORE
According to curators at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, some modern papers “only have a lifespan of a few decades.” So, if you have precious letters or documents, what can you do to preserve and protect them?READ MORE
On June 6, 1944, the mother of Lou B.—who at the time was in military training in Massachusetts—wrote this letter capturing her reaction to the D-Day invasion.READ MORE
Two weeks ago, I received a phone call extending an invitation for my Uncle Allen to be a guest of honor at a special event at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum.READ MORE
This postcard was written August 12, 1944 by a man named Marcel.READ MORE
I presume this postcard was written by a Dutch laborer; clues include the date, the censor marks, the fact she was in Berlin. READ MORE
Earlier this year, my 91-year-old uncle, Allen Porter, was invited to be part of a panel of veterans at a WWII lecture at Fort Snelling. The topic was the liberation of the concentration camps. READ MORE
It might seem strange to say, but since finding Marcel’s letters, it feels as though other letters have found me. This is one such letter, which I recently had translated into English.READ MORE
Last weekend, I had the honor of being one of six presenters at the 28th annual Lake Superior Design Retreat sponsored by AIA-Minnesota. READ MORE
During the last couple of weeks, I’ve been double-checking sources cited in the manuscript. READ MORE
December 25, 1944
France
No. 42
My darling wife,
It is Xmas day, and as far as the Army is concerned everything has been done possible to make it pleasantREAD MORE
Dearest Mary,
This evening I felt an occasion to be spent at something other than work, so for the first time in a week I am here in my Nissen Hut before “lights out.”READ MORE
By the summer of 1942, large numbers of working-age German men had been transferred to the eastern or western fronts to fight. This resulted in increased vacancies at factories and mines at the very point in time when more laborers were needed to support the German war industry.