61

Germany

Jan 6th 1919

Dear Mother & Dad,

I have just received parcel no. 10 and also your letter of Dec 1st.

The parcel is jake-a-lon it was very badly damaged looked as if a 9.2 shell had landed on it, but not much damage was done, I have just one casualty t report that is the tooth-brush, I'm sorry to report that was
"napooed" I'm sorry as I badly need one but I will be able to get one in town. The shaving soap, tooth-paste, sponge, nose rags etc, are also what I am in need of, so now I am O.K. I haven't tried the eats yet but I can see they are good. The toffee and chocolate are jake, I have become a choc-olate fiend since I came over here, so always be sure to send lots of that, also gum, raisins, dates, figs or anything in that line always go good too. I don't think there is anything special that I need, just send eats. I don't know what has happened to parcels. #8 & 9, but I haven't given up hope yet.

Glad to hear that the 'flu epidemic is over at last and that the public places are open again. I had a letter from Gert Rendell she has been pretty bad with the 'flu but is nearly re-covered now.

Glad to hear that Tom and George Norris are likely to be home by Xmas.

Give family you see my very best regards, and tell her how pleased I am to hear of Tom received the M.C I will write to them as soon as I can, but I am pretty busy writing these days.

By the latest report we will start to move back in a few days of course we will be in France and England for a time, but I think the chances of getting back in the time I promised (apr 1st) is pretty good.

I am sending you a few souvenirs, a Dutch pipe and Heinie [?], in 1 parcel, a view of Cologne cathedral, in another and a picture of the battery in another. I hope they arrive safely I packed them pretty well but it's a long trip.

The more I see of the German people the less I like them they are so darned inquisitive for one thing in they all crowd around, breaking their necks to see what it is. Not only that but they pry into when we are away as I have found out by leaving things in a certain way so that I could tell if anyone moved it, and also tying parcels with a certain knot. And as for the kids they are the most detestable brats there isn't a taking way with them unless its taking our choc-olate. They swiped some of ours and I told them that they next time I would throw the whole bunch, and furniture too, out of the window. They are better now. They are all the same we have to throw a scare into them and threaten to beat up the bunch or they get too familiar. They get all the news of what we are going to do before we do, and they can always tell us what is in the canteen although they are not allowed in there. I forgot to tell you that we have a little canteen of our own now, which is pretty handy.

The German mark is dropping away down in value these days, it is only worth 11 [?] now, while in pre-war days it was valued at 24[?] They use mostly paper money miserable stuff about the size of our 25[?] bills and some half the size. The coins which before the war were made of nickel are now made of some metal that looks like zinc. I am-enclosing a 10 [?] [?] (value about 1[?]) I forgot to tell you I sent a book of views of the Rhine gee, I would like to take that trip by boat in the summer time, they say it is great, you see I am still crazy on collecting views of different places.

I don't know if I told you that this is the battery that publishes the "O- [?]" Article Willis, the editor is away but I believe they are going to publish another copy shortly. We would have had one before now, but it was lost in the mail on the way to the pub-lishers.

Well I guess I had better draw this scrawl to a close of will have nothing to write about next time.

You see your writing paper is coming handy already, it came just in time.
Glad that you are both keeping so well. Your loving son

Walter