Sidney Towner Phelan letter to mother - November 27, 1917
Transcript
[November] 27, 1917 Dearest Mother, Many thanks for the fruit cake and other stuff you sent. It was great. Tomorrow I am on permission for the day and you know where I will spend it. I will have the luxury of a hot bath and be able to buy many things I need (all little things except a new uniform) The people in this little village are most curious. I can't even shave in the street without having an audience collect. The other day I had six children, a man a woman
Transcript
and a dog gather around while I shaved. They kept asking me if the water was cold and thought themselves clever. I wanted to kill the idiots. Of course shaving in a public street isn't the thing to do at home but here it is the only place I can get any water. I was quite glad to give the people a treat and even brushed my teeth twice they seemed to enjoy it so. It's quite a strange feeling that of being a performing animal.
Transcript
The other day I had all the sensations of being a hero. The paper came out with big headlines of a British victory. I was on duty in a nearby town and was eating breakfast in a sidewalk cafe. Our uniforms weren't French and result was an admiring throng of small kids who pointed to us and whispered (les Anglais) You can't imagine how important I felt. I was immediately assured that I alone was responsible for the great British victory. I have discovered a cafe in that town where one can get the most wonderful cooking I ever tasted. It's cheap too I guess I will spend all my money there. If you happen by any chance to see a copy of the "Illustration"
Transcript
of [November] 10 you will see an account (in French) of the last battle I was in and also a picture of one of the posts we occupied. Parker Torns will tell you where we were. I suppose you have seen him by now. I don't really need anything but if you ever get to knitting knit me some heavy wool sox and get them plenty big enough. I would also like a sweater one heavier than the last one you sent but not too bulky to wear under a unif coat.
Transcript
Make it with a V neck but have it a slipon and not a coat sweater. Lots of love Towner S.S.O.5 Por B.C.M. Paris
Details
| Title | Sidney Towner Phelan letter to mother - November 27, 1917 |
| Creator | Phelan, Sidney Towner |
| Source | Phelan, Sidney Towner. Letter to mother. 27 November 1917. Sidney Towner Phelan Papers, 1899-1960. A1209. Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | Sidney Towner Phelan, a St. Louis, Missouri native, wrote this letter to his Mother while serving as a volunteer ambulance driver in France during World War I. In this letter Phelan described his experiences in a French village, including having having to shave in public with an audience, and later being hailed as a hero because he was an American. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918--France |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | A1209 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | November 27, 1917 |
| Language | English |