LIVING IN CASTLE
Capt. Robert L. Alkire son of Henry Alkire of this city, writes his father from France that he is living in an old chateau where he is stationed with a veterinary unit. “Parts of this town have taken quite a beating from the German and American artillery and bombs,” the captain writes, “but you can readily see that it had been a nice city prior to the war.”
“The Germans left here about a month ago, but evidences of their presence are still around in the form of objects they left behind. This tablet I am using to write to you came out of a large supply of German office equipment which we found in one of the buildings in this city.
“We are quite comfortable here and I like France, but naturally I have difficulty with the language and it takes time to learn The people are very cordial and we get along with them quite well."
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, IA - Sept. 26, 1944
Sends Ashtray
Henry Alkire of this city has received a metal ash tray from his son, Capt. Robert Alkire with the U. S. army in Germany. The ash tray was fashioned from a German shell casing, the diameter of which is approximately 5-1/2 inches. The tray is an interesting souvenir of World War II and shows ingenuity in transforming wartime refuse into useful and ornamental objects.
The captain writes that he is stationed at Frankfurt, Germany with a veterinarian unit. He mentions the confusion apparently in Germany today — the streams of liberated prisoners heading home and the thousands of displaced persons milling around. The problems of handling these refugees and the German people who are returning to war devastated **homes** is, Alkire said, “like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.”
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, IA - June 14, 1945
Robert Louis Alkire was born Feb. 26, 1911 to William Henry and Nora Bell Clifton Alkire. He died July 6, 1996.
Capt. Alkire served with the U.S. Army veterinary corps in England during World War II.
Source: ancestry.com
