Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, September 5, 1945

Well honey here I am finally back again with the Company and boy am I ever glad that trip is over with. I arrived here about 4:30 this morning with no sleep whatever and practically none the previous night so you can imagine what I have been trying to do most of today. We left Paris about 8:00 Monday nite and about 10:00 I managed to find space to lay on the floor at the end of the coach. The tracks are of course very rough and the train pitches from one side to the other until you roll all over the floor unless you are braced against someone. I finally fell asleep about 12:00 I think and at 1:00 A.M. they awakened us all to change to another car at the front of the train as it seemed our car had developed a hot box. The Frenchman had a hell of a time arousing me and I was so damn mad I felt like killing him. I told him if we gave them all new equipment they couldn’t keep it running for a week. Actually I don’t think they could keep a wheel barrow in running order. After changing to the other car it was so crowded I couldn’t lay down and with wood seats its hard to sleep sitting up. At 7:00 AM we stopped   at Sarrebourg (?) for breakfast. Had roast beef, mashed potatoes, string beans and a fig can you imagine that for breakfast. Also had coffee already sugared which I couldn’t drink however I ate the food. While in the Red Cross in Paris I picked up “Disputed Passage” by Lloyd Douglas so read it most of the day. At Strasbourg (?) we had to change cars again and again crowd up. we didn’t get to eat again until 8:00 P.M. that night when we arrived at Augsburg. It was pretty good chow except again the coffee had sugar ready mixed in it. We arrived at Munich about 10:00 and waited until 11:15 P.M. for a truck to Salzburg. While there I washed and shaved and had some doughnuts and coffee. We left there finally and about half way or 45 miles the damn truck broke down and we had to flag a truck to drag us the rest of the way. It was about 1:30 then and by the time we arrived at Quartermaster for another vehicle it was 4:00 A.M. From there to Hallein they brought us by Jeep.

The best part about returning was the letters I had waiting for me from you. I received 31 from you alone plus one from mother, Otto, and Herb and Eileen. Oh yes I finally got one from Pete after returning and telling me exactly where he   was located. Needless to say I have been reading letters most of the day. I also received two packages from you and another package of films. I ate one box of the cookies already and they were delicious. Thanks Honey. I also had to get my laundry ready today as practically every thing I had was dirty. I didn’t wash out a single thing in the three weeks I was away so you can imagine the stack. I also had to get a hair cut and shower as the last shower I had was at Etretat. Speaking of B.O. — I really had it. Any way I feel much better now and plan to hit the hay early to get caught up on my sleep. Perhaps I will feel halfway decent again by tomorrow. I plan to write two letters each day starting tomorrow to make up for those I have missed and to tell you about the trip. Right now I think I could write a hundred pages, perhaps I should just write a book on “William's Travels”.

Well darling think I better close this for now and go to bed, will write more tomorrow — Bye for now —