V-Mail from my dad, Ralph Schirf
A few years ago I did a search on my dad’s name and found an old auction for V-Mail (“Greetings from Britain”) from Private Ralph Schirf. I hadn’t known about the auction, long since over, in time to bid. Here are the clues that it’s from my dad:
- Ralph Schirf is a unique name. Schirf is rare, and we’re all related. Ralph Schirf is one of a kind.
- He was from the Altoona, Pennsylvania, area.
- He served as a private in the Army Air Forces during WWII in England (artillery, I believe, although he didn’t talk about it). He was honorably discharged as a corporal.
- That’s his block printing.
- His beloved sister Marjorie married a Way (Ellis G. in the obituary of one of their children).
- He once signed a birthday card to me “Father Ralph.” It’s not a stretch to imagine him signing “Brother Ralph” to his sister.
I would love if the buyer found this post and offered to sell me Dad’s V-Mail, but in lieu of the physical pieces I’ll have to be content with small digital photos.
![rare-wwii-1943-v-mail-greetings-from-britian-private-ralph-schirf-ww2-64c32fc9481c6b1dd5f09fd063e84227](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49850658796_c4ca3d5250_o.jpg)
![rare-wwii-1943-v-mail-greetings-from-britian-private-ralph-schirf-ww2-c993a0c32ef84e5171b974ff4d9b371a](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49850122628_b1d6655567_o.jpg)
![rare-wwii-1943-v-mail-greetings-from-britian-private-ralph-schirf-ww2-d2c81299d5a5807ba0622d5a7a809d17-2](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49850960722_361764c2c6_o.jpg)
![rare-wwii-1943-v-mail-greetings-from-britian-private-ralph-schirf-ww2-d2f50a8d720b1a177435f2dd7ec784e8-2](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49850122633_29ea22fbf7_o.jpg)
Here’s more from the Postal Museum about V-Mail.
USPS PDF about the history and process of sending V-Mail.
My dad:
![Dad_service 2](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48078887078_2df3999688_c.jpg)
And his grave in Bellwood, Pennsylvania, outside Altoona:
![Untitled](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49850167738_82c9c84a12_c.jpg)
What an amazing experience to have. It’s a lucky thing that pages for sold items remain online. I hope you can track down the letter.