A LETTER FROM EARLE DOBSON

This post is a continuation on my uncle, Earle Dobson. The following appeared in the “School News” section of the Lewiston Morning Tribune, March 2, 1919:

“Mr. Simmonds [school superintendent and advisor to the Class of 1918] is in receipt of an interesting letter from Earle Dobson, a member of last year’s senior class [1918] who left before the close of the school year to join Uncle Sam’s navy. Earle says in part:

“I have at last completed my course in radio at Cambridge, Mass, and am now taking an additional two month’s course in wireless telephony at New London [CT]. I received a third-class rating as radio wireless operator in the former course and when I finish here expect to be a telephone operator as well.

“I wanted to go over [to the war?] but now, like a lot more of the fellows, I wish to return [home] and take up my work again. A number of the boys have been sent home and that fact makes the rest of us restless.

“The grand old east is wonderful and I like it very much, although I would not care to live here. Boston is quite a place with all of its old historic places and I certainly have enjoyed the time spent here. All of the old places have interested me very much. Lexington and Concord brought to my memory events in history which I had almost forgotten. The old elm tree under which Washington took command of the troops, April 8, 1776, still stands, though part of it is dead.

“While at Cambridge I made several little tours out into the country. Once we went out to Marblehead and I got several pictures of the scenery there, also pictures of the House of Seven Gables and Hawthorne’s birthplace.

“At present we are located on the Thames River here at New London, and each morning the submarines and sub-chasers steam down the river for observation and practice work. Once in a while a coast passenger boat steams in and makes anchor in the river opposite the school, but outside of this, everything is quiet.

“I miss the L.H.S. and it certainly holds fond memories for me. There is no place like the big wide west, Mr. Simmonds, after all. Please extend my regards to Mr. Jenifer, to the rest of the faculty, and to the school as a whole.”

What a great happenstance that Mr. Simmonds chose to share this letter in the school news so that I might discover it 100 years later. It’s wonderful to hear through Earle’s own “voice” of his experiences in the Navy. I think the war was officially over – WWI ended November 11, 1918 -- when Earle wrote the letter. He seems to say that he had wanted to “go over” to the war, but now that it’s over, men are being sent home, and he would like to be one of them so that he can get on with his “work,” probably meaning his education. KW