This collection contains 7 letters that Helen Eastman received in 1943 from Lee Blanchard, Therald Eastman, and H. W. Woodward, as well as 1 undated letter, 1 printed poem and 1 pencil sketch.
Private First Class Lee Blanchard wrote 5 letters to Helen Eastman between June 27, 1943, and November 25, 1943, while serving with the 10th Field Hospital in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He described the scenery from his travels and responded to news she sent from home. While in Sicily, he visited catacombs; he also remarked on ancient Greek and Roman ruins in Italy and in Constantinople.
On July 15, 1943, Seaman Second Class H. W. Woodward ("Willis") wrote to Helen Eastman from the United States Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, where he attended storekeeper's school. He related news of family and friends, and reported that he planned to graduate in August. Helen's cousin Therald Eastman wrote to the Eastman family on December 16, 1943, thanking them for a Christmas gift and reporting on his courses at the Field Artillery Replacement Training Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The final letter to Helen Eastman, an undated item signed by "Maurice," pertains to the Christmas season and provides family news.
The collection also contains a printed fragment of a poem entitled "Two Opinions," which presents a boy's opinion on the opposite sex, and a pencil drawing of a person in a high-collared uniform.
Helen Eastman was the daughter of John and Beatrice Eastman of Stow, Maine. Her cousin, Therald Eastman, trained at the Field Artillery Replacement Training Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1943.
H. W. Woodward ("Willis") attended storekeeper's school at the United States Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, between May and August 1943, entering as a seaman second class.
Private First Class Lee Blanchard served with the 10th Field Hospital in Northern Africa, Sicily, and Italy between June and October 1943.
