Sepia Saturday 704. Seventeenth in a series about letters from my dad’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau while he was in the US Army during WWII.
On Dec. 3 and 13, 1942, my paternal uncle Frederic Mason Charboneau sent holiday messages home to his family. Service members were advised to write early in hopes their letters could be delivered during the holiday season.
Since his earlier letters, Uncle Fred had moved from England to north Africa — a total change from snowy Otter Lake, N.Y., where he grew up. Yet when holiday time rolled around, his thoughts, like those of many service members, were with family back home — as reflected in letters to his mother Mary (Owen) Charboneau.
Uncle Fred’s first holiday letter
“Somewhere in North Africa, Dec. 3, 1942. Dear Mom, Well, it has been some time since I wrote you last. As you can see, I have moved from the last place and I am now in Africa the land of sunshine. It is nice here during the day, although the first few days we were here we had the usual rain that we always seem to get whenever we move, but the nights are quite cold.”
“By the time you get this letter Christmas will probably have come and gone. If you have already sent any packages OK, but I would advise you not to send anymore unless you insure them. I still have that other carton of cigarettes coming and also all the packages that have been sent. I’m not the only one. All of the fellows here have packages coming. Your loving son, Fred. P.S. Have you received the Christmas cards and also the other money order that I sent?“
A second letter home
Ten days later, Uncle Fred sent a second holiday-themed letter in hopes it would reach his family by Christmas. It contained a poignant message, in bold below.
“In the field, somewhere in North Africa, Dec. 13th, 1942. Dear Mom, We have been promised that if we get this letter in that it will get home by Christmas. Here’s hoping anyway. First of all if you haven’t received a Christmas card I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and wish I could be home but I know you will have me in mind when you open your presents.“
Two evocative passages
In the same letter, Uncle Fred wrote two passages that evoked his experience during that winter and resonated with memories of my own childhood holidays.
“I am spending my nights now up in the radio room,” he wrote. “There is quite a crowd there and we spend our time playing pinochle and listening to programs from the states. We hear Harry James, Glenn Miller and others and the other night on a special program we heard George Burns and Gracie Allen.”
Card playing and music listening were, and still are, a holiday tradition in my extended family — as was catalog shopping to look for gifts to exchange and to ask Santa for. So I was pleased to read (below) that Uncle Fred enjoyed catalog shopping, too!
“By the way, I saw one of my favorite reading materials a couple of days ago. A Sears and Roebuck catalog one of our officers got. I haven’t had a chance to look at it real good as yet, but the first chance I get I’m going to ask him to let me borrow it for a little while and look through it cover to cover.”
The huge Sears and Roebuck catalog was an amazing dream book for sure — and especially so for Uncle Fred when he was stationed so far from home in December 1942.
Happy Holidays and New Year from Molly’s Canopy!
Up next: Back to chronological order with the second half of Uncle Fred’s Sept. 25, 1942 letter. Please stop back! Meanwhile, please visit the other intrepid bloggers over at Sepia Saturday.
© 2023 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.
I loved the The Sears and Roebuck catalog as a kid, because it had toys in it! The JC Penney one as well. I would circle so many things hoping my mother would get the hint to buy one of them for me! Great memories. Happy Holidays!
Thanks Jenny. The Sears catalog seems to have been a staple in so many US households — and a wonder-book for kids, as you ably describe. Happy Holidays and New Year!
Happy holidays! As always, love these letters from your uncle, during the war! Perfect timing for his Christmas letters! It’s so nice to learn that back in the day some of the family traditions were just the same! Curious…why was he transferred to Africa?
Thanks, Diane, and Happy Holidays and New Year!Regarding Uncle Fred’s transfer, I believe his initial stay in England was temporary while his and other military units were pulled together and field trained — then they were deployed to the various fronts, in his case north Africa.
I had several pen pals who were “overseas” in different times than your Uncle Fred. It was so nice to hear of the activities of their lives, which of course were totally managed by the armed forces, even when they had time “off” when not on duty. They lived a very conscribed existence, and a letter from home certainly meant a lot. It reminded each of them that life was still progressing at it’s normal pace somewhere else. And Christmas was certainly a highlight…I’m so glad you’ve got those two letters from your Uncle. Don’t start me on Sears or Monkey Ward catalogs…definitely a wishing well of treasures.
WWII Army life was indeed a contradiction. On the one hand, Uncle Fred was sent to places he could never have afforded to visit as a civilian. But it was also a time of war, so his circumstances were precarious. Recalling the normalcy of home must have been a balm in difficult times, as reflected in his letters.
There is something so special to have an item (e.g. letter, recipe book, journal), handwritten by an ancestor. – and even more wonderful when Fred here was living at such a momentous time in history. His feelings on being far from home he convey so movingly.
So true, Susan. Having something in a relative’s own voice is priceless — especially when you have never met them. Happy holidays and New Year!
What I enjoy about your war series on Uncle Fred is that his letters reveal the truth behind some of the cliches we associate with WW2. That first Christmas in Europe and North Africa must have been difficult for all the servicemen, from generals to privates. Clearly from Fred’s letter the assurance soldiers got of the delivery of their letters was just as important, maybe more, to their morale than receiving parcels from home. I liked your remark on the Sears and Roebuck catalog as an amazing dream book. Another example of how important reminders of home were for our troops then. I wish you and your family a happy Christmas and new year.
Thank so much, Mike. Uncle Fred can seem matter of fact in his letters, but in these his longing for home at the holidays crept through — as did his confidence that the family would miss him. And what can I say about the Sears catalog? I discovered some for sale online and I’m very tempted to order one just to relive the childhood wonder of turning its millions of pages 🙂 Happy Holidays and New Year!
His Christmas letters are such a family treasure. You’re lucky to have them.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks, Susan. These letters are truly family history gold. Happy Holidays and New Year!
A lovely Christmas-themed post using Uncle Fred’s letters home. The catalogs we get now are individualized so are not the same as the old Sears, & Montgomery Ward catalogs, but I still have fun looking through them even though I know I’m probably not going to order anything. I do order a few things once in a while, but not often. Still, I peruse the catalogs and pick out everything I’d like to have, then total up the cost and laugh before I toss the catalog away. It’s a nonsense thing to do, but fun and doesn’t cost a penny!
I’m the same way. Even though we now have the internet, there is just sometime about the feel of a catalog and the photo displays that is so enticing. Perhaps it’s because we belong to the Sears and Wards catalog generation! Happy Holidays and New Year!