Destination Epic

Destination Epic

where curiosity leads
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Another Thousand Letters

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On January 27, 2022, I posted Episode 34 reading from Helen’s 1st WW2 letter to Charles. I included a short clip at 0:53 from footage I took of opening and looking through a folder labeled “Charles’ Military Papers - Atlantic City.” This 1-minute clip shares more of the things I found when I opened the folder, including the Army Air Force October 29, 1942, order signed by 2nd Lieutenant E.B. Berlinrut granting Charles a 3-day pass to visit New York. The order is significant in that it foreshadows Charles’ war work. He has been on “special duty” to the Office of the Public Relations Officer. A related Instagram post to World War 2 Letter 38 in which Helen described Seán's delight at hearing the news is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcdTVFuOVDa/ #1940s #loveletters #archives #ww2homefront #usarmy #armyaircorps #usaaf #airforcehistory #History #familyhistory #helenhemlincooke #CharlesHarrisCooke #AnotherThousandLetters
This short accompanies an April 5, 2022, Instagram post about World War 2 Love Letter #31 of ~700. The letter is from Helen Cooke to Charles Cooke dated October 5, 1942. She wrote, in part: “I showed our pictures to everyone today. Remember what I said about the expression in your face and how much I loved it?” “I am very happy to see it there. When I look at it, even at this moment with you miles away, it makes me want to throw my arms around you and kiss you.” Before we were evacuated last weekend for the #ncarfire I had been digging through the #AnotherThousandLetters photo bin looking for pictures. I was fairly sure Helen was referring in this letter to six photos I found last year in Episode 3: Sorting Photos. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk4ZzrMmWYI) I ruined what little “order” I’d created by throwing everything back in. @jrlatre packed it into the car while our phones blasted “LEAVE NOW!” messages from both friends and emergency alerts. Now back home, the the six photos were on top. Based on: 1. Charles’ uniform… it appears to be a Private’s uniform… and 2. The reverse of every photo is stamped “KENTUCKY PHOTO SERVICE 173 SO. KENTUCKY AVENUE Atlantic City, N J” I believe these photos from Atlantic City were likely taken the previous weekend on Helen’s first visit, making them 80 years old. I have many emotions when considering the possibility of having lost this collection to the 2nd wildfire in our community in 90 days. So, I accept the gift and continue the work to get it organized and digitized. Toward the end of the letter, Helen reminded Charles: “One story you did forget to tell me: the one about [the] fire drill and your taking my letters. Would you be able to write it to me?” Coincidence? Preview: The mini-bin of curled photos at the beginning of the clip are World War 2 photos to which I’ll return later when Charles gets to Europe with his #browniecamera. #1940s #loveletters #archives #ww2homefront #usarmy #armyaircorps #basictraining #History #familyhistory #helenhemlincooke #CharlesHarrisCooke #atlanticcity #basictraining
Another Thousand Letters is currently researching the 700+ World War 2 letters between the collections two writers. Charles and Helen Cooke were on the staff of the New Yorker. Their writing life changed when Charles joined the Army Air Force August 24, 1942. Longer videos for letters are cross-posted here on the channel. More frequent posts are on Instagram. I hope you'll join me here too: (https://www.instagram.com/destinationepic/). *** World War 2 Love Letter #19 of ~700 Tuesday Night, September 16, 1942 From Helen to Charles 💌🐾 It’s hard to tell when The New Yorker magazine’s history with “man’s best friend” began. Regardless, by 2012, @randomhouse gifted the dog loving bibliophile hoomans among us with the “The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs.” Jorge subsequently gifted it me long before I started this project. Without fail each of the 65 Good Dogs, Bad Dogs, Top Dogs, and Underdogs articles coax a knowing smile. In Letter 19, Helen described to Charles how she responded to her panic when she realized she’d left Seán (pronounced Shawn) in their apartment without giving him his dinner. Seán was Helen and Charles’ Kerry Blue Terrier and he had two interests: the telephone and leather. The problem? She’d left a leather briefcase on the floor. As The New Yorker would later report, “ “With the ready wit that dog-owners develop in the struggle for survival,” Helen rushed into drugstores every few blocks on her way back to the apartment. By enticing Seán to answer the phone with each call, she hoped to distract him from the leather case. Did it work? I hope you enjoy the video. Reference: The March 27th, 1943, New Yorker article, Distraction, co-authored by Charles Cooke, Russell Maloney, and one of the magazine’s co-founders, Harold Ross. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1943/03/27/distraction-3
Follow the Love Letters on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinationepic/ 💌 In addition to small arms training in Atlantic City, apparently Charles trained his vocal cords. Moved by the spirit of the men singing, Helen felt connected to Charles’ training and began counting the days until September 24th when presumably the first 2 weeks of “hard” training would be over. Of course, we know, ‘hard’ is just beginning. She updated Charles on the Spanel telegram, the work until 1 A.M. the prior week that preceded her hospital stay for the abscessed throat. Spanel’s son, David, was also sick with a fever and sore throat and had to be hospitalized in #Rochester. Helen referred to Spanel’s mention of an epidemic in Rochester. I found evidence of an influenza epidemic in the Winter of 1943-44, but not for 1942. Thank you @mtnrunner_elee for the quick epidemic consult. 🎶🎺🥁🪖 “Army Air Force” Public Domain via Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_U.S._Air_Force_song.oga 🎶📰✈️ “This is an Adventure” by Kyle Preston licensed via #artlist #1940s #loveletters #anotherthousandletters #archives #History #familyhistory #ww2 #helenhemlincooke #CharlesHarrisCooke #armyairforce #airforce #army
Part 2 of 2 of Helen’s first letter to Charles during World War 2 gave me the first sense of what life would be like for her without Charles at her side. She maintained their social and professional networks and is as prolific a love letter writer as Charles was a contributor at the New Yorker magazine. I'm hopeful Sean, their Kerry Blue Terrier, will be a regular contributor to her letters. The 2nd half of this letter hints at the war shortages to come. It also contains Helen's first hand account of what might have been the first unplanned blackout in New York City on August 28, 1942.
Part 1 of 2 of Helen’s first letter to Charles as he begins his military training for World War 2 in August 1942 at Basic Training Center No. 7 of the United States Army Air Force Technical Training Command in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Although I don’t have Charles' side of letters until 1944, (he wrote ~200 compared to Helen's 500), Helen’s reply includes enough context that we get a sense for his training: sleeping in a bunk, sleeping in a tent, and the excitement …perhaps the fear that accompanies any big goal that you don’t know whether you’re prepared for.
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