Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
2024.010.031 |
Title |
Letter from William (Bill) Turner to his mother |
Document |
Click here for transcription |
Object Name |
Letter |
Dates of Creation |
July 24, 1942 |
Scope & Content |
Handwritten letter dated July 24, 1942 from Private William (Bill) Turner, pilot in World War II, to his mother Mrs. Colby W. Turner. Bill is writing from Miami Beach, Florida to his mother in York Village, Maine. Written on A. A. F. T. T. C. (Army Air Forces Technical Training Command) stationery that has been crossed out and repalaced with "574th Aviation Cadets Miami Beach, FL." Transcription: 575th Aviation Cadets Miami Beach, FLORIDA July 24, 1941 (1942) Dear Mother, I received the letter you wrote the 16th yesterday and the other one today so will try to answer them both. The mail doesn't seem to come though as it should. I hadn't got a letter for five days up until yesterday. I received one from Fanny also today, I'm afraid she things too much of me. Ahem! These last two days have been pretty hard on all of us. The General was down to inspect the Trainers and we had to get off the Golf course so that they could prepare for the Revue there. We went down to Flamingo Park yesterday morning and had a little drilling then we split up, Some playing Volley ball and Pushball the rest of us played soft ball. Then after two hours of fast playing our Lt. gave us 20 min. of stiff exercises and when we got done we were ready to come in. We did the same thing today except that we did the exercises first then played ball. When we got done he made us run around the field twice. The exercises he gives us aren't simple ones either for instance one of the simple ones is to clap your hands behind your head then, keeping your legs stiff bend over and touch your knees with your elbows, then switch and touch left knee with right elbow and then the opposite. Nice huh? but darn good for all of us, it will either toughen us up or kill us. In the afternoons all we do is sit around and shoot the bull. I don't know whether you can read this scribbling or not. Don't count on my having a furlough, all that is is a rumor and I've got to get out of here first and that looks as if it was going to take me a while. As for money, right this minute I've got four cents and no cigarettes, but I am owed $14 and we're getting paid a supplentary pay of $15 tomorrow morning so don't worry. They say that we'll get all of our back pay the 5th of Aug. if we're still here. After tomorrow the Gov. will still owe me $70 so I won't be too bad off although we do spend an awful lot of money down here. Tell Ray to right once in awhile anyhow. He ought to be able to think of something to write when I can write a letter like this every week. Well have to sign off till the next time All my love "Bill" |
Collection |
Turner Family Collection |
People |
Turner, Perry Eugene, 1924-2012 Turner, William (Bill), 1922-1944 |
Search Terms |
20th century World War II, 1939-1945 York |
Subjects |
Family letters Missing in action Pilots, Military War World War II, 1939-1945 |
