3-Word Cablegram from France

"Safe tell Mother."

FBM meant to send this cablegram to his Sweetheart, Alice "Allie" Price, but in his haste, he put down his parents's address. The unit's Chaplain gathered up all the cablegrams and sent them from Paris.

In December, he wrote to Allie, "I’m glad that Mother took my safety for granted. Her innocence of the whole affair was what saved me beaucoup worrying. I banked on that all along. I knew I was not fooling you but “no news is good news” and that’s mostly why I have not said much. Another reason is that we are not supposed to say what’s going on and from what I’ve read about soldiers impressions, etc., they strike me as imagination (bunk)."

Like Shackleton, FBM spared his loved ones, (in Shackleton's case, his team) any unnecessary worrying despite the grim circumstances.

Shackleton said, “You often have to hide from them not only the truth, but your feelings about the truth. You may know that the facts are dead against you, but you mustn’t say so.”