The war ends…Bob’s letter home.

Aug. 10, 1945

Darling, it’s over. I can hardly believe it. Do you hear me…IT IS AT AN END… as I was sitting here writing to you, two very excited people ran in to the ten and shouted: turn on the radio. See if it is true. When they told us that a report had been heard that the Japanese had offered to accept to surrender we hurriedly turned on the set and then the report came through. There was wild excitement here. Everyone was running like mad. It seemed almost too much to bear. Burt had come the closest to guessing the time. About two weeks ago… before the atomic bomb or Russia’s declaration, he made a bet that the war would be over in three weeks…we were wild. I felt like breaking down and having a good cry for myself. We were glued to the radio for a little while… then hell broke loose. All the ships in the sea were firing the guns. All the weapons on land opened up… there was nothing but turmoil. Burt and I broke out the Canadian Club that we had been hording since my return from the states and which I had given to him. We drank to you dearest… then the officers here gave us five fifths and we went to work on that. It wasn’t long before everyone was drunk, but happy… the war had come to an end…. The Japs were asking for peace. The firing kept on crazily for a spell. The radio kep repeating that the announcement wasn’t official and that the firing must cease…. It did. Then we all here proceeded to really get down to the business of getting good and drunk. Mr. So and So was introducing himself to Mr. So and So… this went on and on. Burt really tied one on and much later in the evening I put him to bed.