Trips to Mom's

Friday, July 6, 2018

Postcards from World War I: a final set of 10 cards

This final set of 10 cards from my Grandfather in World War I is more difficult to present. Each of the cards has the same back side.

The text going down the left side says "Illustrated Postal Card & Nov Co. N. Y." and in the left bottom corner "1370". The "1370" is obviously the code to select these cards, but all 10 cards have the same number. So "1370" must identify the set, not a particular card within the set. All 10 cards must have been sold as a group.

The Illustrated Postal Card & Novelty Company, of New York, New York is listed in Geyer's Stationer, Volume 48, July, 1909 as moving from Walker Street in New York to Numbers 520, 522, and 524 West Forty-Eighth Street, New York, to have enough room for their growing business of printing post cards. John and Simon Bergman, president and vice-president. They are mentioned in Volume 81 of "The Atlantic Reporter" as having sued (and won) a case in the Supreme Court of Conneticut in Jan 1912, concerning an order for Christmas cards. They are listed in The American Stationer, Volume 78, July 1915 as being in the "Stationers' Specialties and Supplies" trade in New York.

Of these 10 cards, Ray wrote on only 6 of them; 4 are blank on the back. So these might have been the last cards he wrote before he returned to the United States (and brought the blank cards back with him). Again the cards, while clearly to his wife, Ollie, are not addressed, so must have gone back thru the Army mail, in a separate envelope.

Front caption: Yes Sir! Sherman was right.

Message on back: This is me and that was one man that sure was right believe your old uncle.

On the top left corner of the front, is written To Ollie.

Why does he say "your old uncle"? And who is Sherman? The obvious Sherman is William Tecumseh Sherman, the Civil War general who burned Atlanta in his march to the sea. But there is a memoir about the 1918 Meuse-Argonne offense which references "John’s last letter home ended with the words 'Sherman was right,'" referring to his quote that "War is hell".

Front caption: Say! I'd like to surround you -- and bombard you with kisses.

Message on back: To Ollie. Well girl the front of this card expresses my feeling exactly and if I'm as near I would too till you surrendered believe me. Ray

Front caption: If your liver's out of order and you don't sleep nights, try this.

Message on back: To Joe Reeder. Now old of if you will try this I'll bet it will help you sleep all right it does me anyway and I don't need any rocking on anyone's lap either. Ray

Note: Joe Reeder would probably have been Ollie's brother. I think Ollie was Ollie Reeder before she married Ray. We saw one other reference to him (possibly) in the 2nd set of post cards, which we know was written after the Armistice (since they are German post cards) where Ray said "How does Sis and Joe like it in California" and then complains that they never wrote back. And there is no suggestion here that he has seen Europe, so maybe these cards were written first and sent out during basic training.

Front caption: It gets mighty lonesome sometimes.

Message on back: Well Ollie this is the way I feel most of the time down here anyway and that is the way I look also Can't you cheer me up just a bit oxox Ray

Front caption: Gee! If you only knew what the mail meant to us fellows, sometimes.

Message on back: To my wife and flower of my heart a soldier. Girl this is just the way I feel sometimes and there is more truth than poetry in that verse on the front because it sure does cheer me up to hear from you my love as ever, Ray

Front caption: Hurrah! News from home

Message on back: This is the way I feel when I get a letter from you sweetheart Ray

Front caption:Take it from me I don't need any rocking when TAPS sound

Front caption: I wonder if there's any other guy in this army doing anything besides me

Front caption: We wouldn't do this for anybody but Uncle Sam

Front caption: We gotta present a swell front to the enemy

Postcards from World War I: the second set of 7 cards

The family lore is that Ray suffered mustard gas attacks and never really recovered from it, dying from it's effects years later. The Armistice was of course on November 11, 1918, but apparently the soldiers remained in Europe for some time afterwards, as the victors. This next set of 7 post cards are actual German postcards.

Dearest little wife
Will drop you a few more cards to help fill up that album of yours. Well I haven't heard from you for a long time now what is the matter have you quit writing But anyway you know I write once or twice a week whether I hear from you or not. I am going to send you a couple of pictures of me and a friend of mine I aim to

have some more taken soon and will send you one of them also and say have you ever sent me that picture I ask for. Say when did you hear from momma last I haven't heard from her for a month or more I don't know what is wrong. how are all the folks getting along I send you a card a day or so ago telling where I was at and what outfit I was with I guess you have

gotten it by now. But if you ain't I will tell you here on this one too. We are stationed at Hillesheim Eifel Germany. now I'll explain Hillesheim is the name of the town and Eifel in province or about the same as a state in the good old United States. It is just eight months ago today since I left the U.S.A But it seems like that many years to me.

This fellow on the back here is just like I've been lots of times. Say have you wrote remember what I said about your writing I've wrote to Loyd several times But he has never answered I don't know why =But= because some of the letters I know he has =wrote= got But he never answered I guess he has never

got over that old grouch of his well I've done all I can do and if he don't want to forget well he'll just have to remember then I guess, don't you. How is popa getting along now and I wonder if he thinks he can like his soldier boy when he gits home what do you think I guess he will don't you. How does Sis

and Joe like it in California by now I guess they don't like Ray any more they never write well I should worry long as Ollie don't quit liking him why he'll be sitting ace high with the world don't you know well baby I can't think of much more to write so I guess I'll close tell the boys I am going to send them a card right

away in answer to theirs well I've said about all I know so I guess I had better close so answer soon. I remain as ever your husband and devoted lover.
Pvt Wm R. Peterson Co. H. 357 Inf. American E. F.
oxoxoxoxoxoxoxox all for you

The cards are printed in German and were meant for a German audience, I assume.

On the back it says "I. Linschoten", "Seerosen", "Moderne Meister Arthur Rehn & Co., Berlin" and then in the lower left corner "A.R. & C. i. B. No. 158". I. Linschoten is apparently the artist, and "Seerosen" is German for "Water Lilies". Arthur Rehn & Co was in "art publishing" (Kunstverlag) in Berlin in 1918.

The German text "Auf ferner Wacht gedenk ich dein!" translates to "On the other hand, I keep your watch". The three German crosses, with the W and 1914, are the German Iron Cross of 1914, the W standing for Kaiser Wilhelm II. On the back, it has a logo and a card number:

The German text "Morgen marschieren wir, ade! ade! So reich mir denn noch mal die Hand, Herzallerliebster du!" translates to "Tomorrow we march, goodbye! Goodbye! So shake my hand, my dearest, you!". On the back it says "R&K" and "L" in a symbol of a half sun as with the previous card and then "Serie 2627/5"

The German text "Steh ich in finstrer Mitternacht" translates to "I stand in the dark midnight", and then below in German ("Als ich zur Fahne fort gemüsst, Hat sie so herzlich mich geküsst, Mit Bändern meinen Hut geschmückt Und weinend mich ans Herz gedrückt.") something like: "When I had gone to the flag, Did she kiss me so warmly, Decorated with ribbons my hat And crying my heart". (Google translate is not perfect, but I think the idea comes across). This is part (2nd verse) of a song/poem by Wilhelm Hauff, called "Treue Liebe" (Faithful Love), from about 1820.

The back has an "L&P" in a triangle and then "5777/II."

This is a bit more difficult to understand. The top German text translates to: "Also a high price item!", while the bottom is "A defector!". In the lower left corner is a diamond with "PFB"; the lower right is "4593/6". The soldier appears to be an American (or British), not German. I would think that the woman behind is a pickpocket, but maybe it's trying to say not to get friendly with American soldiers; don't be a defector from Germany. Or maybe the soldier is turning his fancy from one (German) woman to another, because he has no loyalties (?),

These last two cards have different images, but the same text "The power of music". In the lower left corner is printed a symbol

with the number "8230/1" for the one where the man is playing the flute, and "8230/4" on the other.

Postcards from World War I: The first 4 cards

My brother dropped by the other day, and left me with a large plastic bag of stamps and letters. It seems that he got them from our Mother, who got them from our Grandparents.

In particular some of these are from my Grandfather (Ray) to my Grandmother (Ollie) while he was in the Army during World War I. Unfortunately, none of these are dated, so it is difficult to determine what order they go in. And they have no stamps or addresses. Apparently, the troops could write letters and post cards, and then they were put in some larger envelope (?) which was addressed and sent home. So there are two sets of post cards that were apparently sent as a letter.

The first set, of 4 cards, are from the YMCA. The first three cards are printed with images on one side and were blank on the other. On the front, at the bottom left, it says "For YMCA" and on the bottom right "Devambez Paris". There was a print shop in Paris, founded by Edouard Devambez that, according to Wikipedia, "During the First World War, Devambez created many posters for the Bureau de Propagande Française à l’Étranger". So the "Devambez" may refer to the printer. Or, Wikipedia says, there was also a French painter and illustrator, Andre Devambez, son of Edouard. In fact Andre was one of the creators of posters that Edouard printed.

But the scene on the first card is signed with "A.R." and another was signed by "Jacques Carlu". So the probability is the "Devambez Paris" refers to the printer. In fact on the fourth card, it says "Draeger Imp" on the left and "YMCA Anita Parkhurst" on the right. Draeger is a French publishing firm, again located in Paris, started in 1886 continuing until at the "late 1970s". Anita Parkhurst was an American artist who, according to Wikipedia, married Henry Wilcox (to become Anita Parkhurst Wilcox) and in 1918 "went to France, to work with the YMCA to support American troops."

Dearest wife

I will drop you a few lines on these cards I guess it will most likely be after Christmas when you get these But then anyway they'll get there before I do. I wished I was there so as I could buy you a present for Christmas But as I'm not I'll bring you Christmas and birthday present all in

one. I guess popa has already got his Christmas letter has he not. have you heard from Momma lately I've not heard from you or her either one in an awful long time. But I've been moving around so much lately tho that I guess my mail has not caught up with me because I know you have both of you wrote.

How is popa getting along now he is well isn't he and how is Ollie geting along she'd better be getting along alright or I'll take her across my knee and spank her good if she ain't well sweet heart. I can't think of much more to write so I'll let these four cards tell you the rest and I'll close hoping to

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
hear from you soon. I remain as ever your husband Pvt William R Peterson Co. H. 357 Inf American E.F. abscence makes the heart grow fonder Tho the ocean waves divide distance only lends enchantment That why I long to be by your side a merry Xmas a happy new year Ray

The 357th Infantry was an Infantry Regiment in the United States Army, and there was a book history of it written after World War I: 357th Infantry, it's history from organization until part of Army of Occupation, 1917-1919.which I found in PDF format. According to that book, the 357th started in Texas and Oklahoma and went to England and then France in July 1918. Company H was part of the Second Battalion, and was on the front lines from August until the Armistice in November, at Trondes, St. Mihiel, Baalon, and the Argonne.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Friday, Leaving

Mom (and I) got up early this morning -- 6:00 AM -- to get ready for her skin cancer surgery at 8:00. It took 4 hours, but went fine. Afterwards, we went to the Original House of Pancakes for breakfast (and lunch).

Afterwards, we stopped at Fred Meyer for some bandages, and food for her for a couple of days.

Now I am trying to finish everything off before leaving, to drive up to Sue's.

This may be my last message until I get home to Texas.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Thursday, Wrapping up

I took Mom's income tax forms over to the Post Office and mailed them, and a load of cardboard over to the recycling center. I hope I kept those two straight! This left the garage clean.

We got a call that the bathtub support had arrived, so we went down and picked it up. It was very easy to install.

We had dinner with John and Karen. A very pleasant dinner and good conversation. John looked at the sports cards when we got home; he says most of them are worthless.

I'm mostly packed and ready to go. It's a good thing that Mom's bathroom scale is handy -- I need to make sure my bags are under 50 pounds. I think the books are a significant weight. Moving about 4 or 5 books from one suitcase to another was an 8 pound shift. I've got one at 40 pounds and the other at 44.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Wednesday, UPS and NARVRE

As soon as I got up, I went to the UPS store, to mail the boxes of bottles to Canada. This experience illustrates why I don't like working with UPS. From the web site, it should have cost $110.77. But when I get there with that printed out, he explains that I could get that price if I went to the UPS shipping warehouse directly, but since this is a UPS store, it will cost more -- about $125. Even tho I had told the web site that I would be shipping from a UPS store.

But since we had targetted about $160 for shipping, I figured I could improve the packing and stay within our guidelines, so I suggested that we put one of the boxes inside another UPS box, to give it extra cushioning and safety.

Then he explains that even tho I am paying for extra insurance to cover breakage, and they are accepting the box that if it breaks at the other end, they will disallow the breakage, since it is a customer pack, and they will just say it was badly packed, not their fault, no insurance.

But if we put it in a slightly bigger box, that makes the box exceed a limit in size, and the price jumps to $182 for shipping.

However, he could take the box, and repack it so that everything was well protected. That would cost more for the box and the packing, but be able to fit in a smaller box and get under the size limit. I figure I can trade off the better box and packing for the cost in shipping, and agree.

He goes off, and comes back. Now it's still $182 for the shipping, but with $28 for the box and shipping, so its over $200. So we go from $110 on the web to over $210 at the store. They just ratchet the price up and up given any opportunity.

When Mom got up, we went to the NARVRE meeting. A pleasant lunch, with a bunch of retired railroad workers.

Then downtown for Mom to get her new (to her) wedding ring. She had it resized from its original 6.5 down to a 5.0. To my way of thinking it still looked a bit large, but they said to try it for a little while.

Stopped to get Mom's refilled prescriptions, then home to walk Blue around the block.

Then there was another drawer of inventory to go thru. Turned out not to be too bad.