Don Blonet’s letters to Freda "I have regained my purpose, you were quite right to break off our engagement. It had become, to say the least, an apology for one."
Harry Lucas to his wife Sue "Take great care of yourself for me, and you can be assured that I will do the same for I shan’t run in to any trouble if I can avoid it" Sent from: HMS Warwick Castle Date of letter: 5 December 1941
Ken Buckle’s photo of the surrender of Commander Sakai "Commander Sakai, Japanese Navy, comes aboard HMS Nelson off Penang Port" Sent from: HMS Nelson at Penang Date of letter: 28 August 1945
Harry Langford to his wife Eileen "I’m quite sure that all on board here felt a distinct thrill as we crept right into the French coast – close enough to see the church, houses, and details of the district – and being one of the very first on the scene, added much to the tension." Date of letter: 19 June 1944
Ernest Payne to his wife Grace from the D-Day landings “By the time you get this letter, it will be common talk that the invasion is on. At the moment I am writing this on the boat going over to wherever it is we are going to." Sent from: Normandy coast
Max Baker to his family describing life at sea "I have just about had a gut full of rotten food, filthy mess decks and officers who are treated like lords and yet treat us like pigs, so as soon as this war is over I shall do my best to get out of this pig sty." Sent from: HMT Empire Trooper Date of letter: 25 December 1940
Surg Lt Terry Barwell to his wife Pat “I always wish you could be with me when something interesting turns up like this" Sent from: HMS Nader in the Far East Date of letter: 2 May 1945
Stephen Lewis Evans to his wife Sal “The Second Mate is a very good man, but I don’t think that of the Mate. I think he is crackers.” Sent from: SS Corheath, Portsmouth Date of letter: 22 January 1944
Eric Mcdonnell to his parents "Kumbhirgram wasn’t too bad once I got used to it, but it took a great deal of getting used to, believe me. When it rained it was hot, wet and sticky; when the wind blew it was cold, wet and sticky; when the sun shone it was blazing hot and stickier." Sent from: India Date of letter: 1 October 1945
Royal Marine Frank Cameron to Daniel "I have seen a good deal of the world since joining up, but still I would like to go back out to see you." Sent from: HMS LCF 32
A poem by Leslie Goacher and his friend "Yet deep in our hearts we remember / That when this war is over and won / We'll go back to our folks by the fireside / And we'll know that our job was well done" Sent from: Durban, South Africa
Gordon Andrews to his wife Daphne "Apart from all this messing around with different boats, Chelsea get kicked out of the Cup by Aston-Villa." Sent from: Gosport, Hampshire Date of letter: 13 February 1946
Jim Pudney to his wife Joan "I suppose that in England things have been normal during the last few days but out here things have been looking very black" Sent from: HMS Shropshire Date of letter: 14 April 1939
Harry Woolacott’s letters to his family “I have had quite enough of seeing the great big world, I can assure you and am looking forward very much to getting back to Vera and Tessa” Date of letter: 26 August 1940
Staff Sergeant Alfred Thomas Holder to his wife Marguerite “Roy and I have started concert parties on board and we had the first show last night. It was a talent spotting concert and we are holding them for the next three nights” Sent from: At sea Date of letter: 1 January 1946
Corporal Henry Webb to his sister Lily "Just before it was really day light they started moving towards the beaches - Honestly it was a great sight - never to be forgotten. We actually could see the boys land a fight, it really was a grandstand view and I feel proud to have had the opportunity of seeing it." Sent from: Normandy, France Date of letter: 9 June 1944
Alan Barton to his wife "I’ll never never leave you again dear only for a few hours perhaps and then I’ll come home to you in the evening. And in the summer we’ll have evenings in the garden surrounded by the work of our hands and the happy laughter of our children." Sent from: Arctic Convoy Date of letter: 9 March 1944
John Scourse to his family "We missed all the VE day celebrations owing to the fact that we were at sea, but they have given us a very sincere welcome here and the general air of festivity gives us a good idea of what things were like at home." Date of letter: 29 May 1945
Lt Col John Todhunter to his wife Angela "I felt the whole time that one had read about disasters at sea and no doubt would read about them again, but that it was impossible that such a thing should be happening to me personally." Sent from: Iceland Date of letter: 7 November 1941
Jeffrey Murphy to his parents Lilian and Andrew "hoping that we will see better times later on. Look after yourselves and keep smiling, remember me to all."
Hannah McWaters to her husband Alfred on the SS Ceramic "It was in the paper dear that the ship had gone down but that's the German Talk" Sent from: Liverpool Date of letter: 17 December 1942
Jack Walter Dale to his brother Victor "PS When you get a life jacket treat it as your best pal. I shouldn't be here now if I hadn't had one." Sent from: Longmoor, Hampshire Date of letter: 11 July 1940
George Keal to his sister Mabel "Thank you for the pullover, it is just what I wanted" Sent from: HMS Hood
Gunner Dorando Richards to Mary Barbara Richards "At night time on deck you can watch the waves breaking past the ship in showers of phosphorescent lights, it is quite fascinating to watch and looks as if the sea was lit up from underneath" Sent from: Somewhere at sea Date of letter: 14 December 1941
Stanley Bagshaw to his parents Joseph and Anne Bagshaw "I'll be thinking of you when I'm tossing on the waves" Sent from: H M S Beagle
George William Reeves to Joyce Helen Reeves "I'm glad you are getting on OK at your school, it's good to know that you are coming out top and in a play, eh, maybe you will be a film star in a few years' time" Sent from: HMS Beverley Date of letter: 2 April 1942
Captain Louis Mountbatten to Mark Bell "The spirit of the Kelly was magnificent to the end and everyone of her Ship's Company behaved in accordance with the highest traditions of the Royal Navy. I felt that this knowledge might help to comfort you in your great sorrow." Date of letter: 24 June 1941
Letters from Patricia Harvey "I have done a little more work this week - okay no wise cracks - but the WAAF do work occasionally but up in forties section they really are hard at work" Sent from: Brighton
Frank Blackburn to Amelia Kelly "Well Mother, what sort of Christmas did you have at home? As for me, I had a good dinner and two pints of beer." Sent from: Emperor Aquabus Date of letter: 27 December 1944
English (UK)English (UK)
