Friday, August 4, 1944

Great Aunt Peggy's visit is coming to an end.  Grandma enjoyed having her and being out of uniform for a while.  She really looks forward to never wearing a uniform ever again.

I hate to see Peggy leave.  She likes it down here and has had a good time.  It is like a vacation for me in a way.  I have been able to sit around in shorts and go out in the yard without having to get into uniform and that seemed wonderful.  Well, someday I will be able to do it again and never have to worry about the war -- if it will only get over soon.  It looks like things are going well now tho.  Bud doesn't seem to think that it will last too long."

Photographs played such a role in 1940s letters.  They were connections to home and to the people you loved.  Grandma talks about the letter Great-Grandma just sent with photos of Great-Grandpa's tombstone.  She's anxious to see the photos because she isn't home to see that his tombstone is properly handled.  She cannot control the situation and as her anxiety is a genetic trait, I can understand her agony and frustration.  

"I just called Peggy up and she said we had two letters from you.  I am anxious to get home and see the pictures of Daddy's tombstone.  Peg said that she likes it."

Photographs were the touchstones of this generation.  Film and getting pictures developed were major costs, and photos were reserved for special occasions.  WWII gave this generation reasons to produce photos because you didn't know if you would ever see that person ever again.  Life held more meaning and people wanted to capture moments that were precious to them.

"We are going to finish up our films this weekend so Peggy can bring the pictures home with her.  We have only two rolls.  I want to get a picture of me and Bud when we got on our swimming suits, but our whites.  He always wear whites.  I usually wear my greys but I want me to be in white."

Grandma can be pretty sneaky when she wants to be.  She wants to be in her whites so she can suggest to the viewer of the photograph that her outfit is more bridal.  Maybe I am reading too much into it but Grandma would totally do something like that.

One of my favorite photos from the lot

On July 19, 1944

Monday, July 24, 1944

Grandpa is writing Great-Grandma Shannon for Grandma's hand in marriage!  Grandma wants to get married in Montana, but Grandpa loves his pastor in St. Louis.  They both want to wait to get married after the war, but I don't remember is they wait that long!

"He and I are going to be married some day, after the war preferably.  He wants his folks and you to be there when we are married.  He wanted Peggy to look him over and go home and tell you about him and then he is going to write you and ask you if it is all right with you to marry me.  So when he writes let it be a big surprise to you.  He is very fond of his pastor in St. Louis and has always wanted him to marry him when he was married, but I told him that you aren't well and could never come to St. Louis and that I wanted to be married at home, so we hope that his folks will be able to come out to Missoula then.  I think they would, because he is the only boy in the family(He has 2 sisters), and they think the sun rises and sets in him."

My Grandfather's sisters always said that Grandpa was their favorite.  Well, at least I like to think that Great Aunt Thelma and Charlotte loved him the best.  I never really knew him, but they made sure I heard plenty of stories about him.

"Well, I guess that is enough of that.  I want you to be surprised when he writes to you.  He wanted to let you know before I did.  Although, he knows that I have written you a lot about us and you know we like each other a lot.  I hope that everything will turn out OK.  His real name is Walter William Robinson, but he is called Bud."

Both of my Grandfathers went by Bud.  I did a little digging and found out that Bud is often used when a son is a Jr.  My Dad's Dad was Delbert Ogden Wyse Jr and that's where (I think) Grandpa Wyse started going by Bud.  On the other hand, if you had an odd or a sometimes hard to yell across the ship yard name in the service, they might give you a nickname.  Anyone willing to enlighten me on why there are SO many buds in WWII?  Links to research would be helpful.  Also in the interest of names and nicknames, If I was a boy my name would be William Walter Wyse.  My initials would have been WWW.  That would have been just in time for the advent of the at-home internet.  Thank God I am a girl.

One of my favorite photos of the them

On July 10, 1944