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."
Daniel Muldoon to his parents "You want to see the French people greeting us pet. When they see we are English they throw flowers and everything at our lorry's. It nearly makes you cry sometimes when you see them." Sent from: Sussex, UK & Normandy, France Date of letter: 25 July 1944
Alan Pearce to his brother George "I’ve been in Italy about a yeat now and have attained quite a grip of the Italian lingo" Sent from: Italy Date of letter: 21 September 1944
Captain Peter Andrews to his family "From time to time a seared white face appeared at an upstairs windows - it was quite clear that the German civilians thought their hour had come; they had never seen the British in this mood before and they obviously expected the worst." Sent from: Flensburg, Germany Date of letter: 10 May 1945
James Frank Ineson to his parents "I do not want any form of mourning whatever unless Poli wants to string some balloons up in the garden!"
Alan Hicks to his mother Agnes "Germany is really a lovely country. For pretty houses, it takes some beating" Sent from: Germany Date of letter: 11 September 1944
Stanley Hilton to his young nephew John "General Montgomery is shorter than me, he makes up for being small by being great in other ways. He's a wonderful leader of men and knows just how to plan battles so that we can beat the enemy." Sent from: Gerrads Cross, England Date of letter: 22 February 1944
William Forsyth to his mother Margaret "I've just got two nice tidy little wounds. One in my behind and one in my right leg, and no bones broken. Had 48 hours in Italy and that was enough." Sent from: Salerno, Italy Date of letter: 16 September 1943
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
Letters to Bert Burtenshaw "I can’t tell you how I pleased I was to receive that card and to know you are alive and well, it is four months since I have heard anything from you."
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
Sergeant L Rayner to Mrs Annie Haynes regarding her son George "He never failed me, and I can honestly say that he was without Doubt one of my best men, and believe me although he himself may treat it as a mere nothing, you have great reason to be Very Very Proud of him." Sent from: Sicily Date of letter: 9 November 1943
Second Lt Douglas Arthur Innes to his uncle Arthur "Very many thanks for the parcel of books … they will be most useful in helping to keep the greatest bogey away. That bogey is boredom and I think most of us will be glad when the real thing starts." Date of letter: 14 March 1940
Stan Bateman to his family "Two of my mates and myself went to a house ashore yesterday and we had a very good time, egg and chips for supper, as you can tell how pleased I was, also had jelly a few days before - just like home, only you and dad weren’t there." Sent from: Greece Date of letter: 27 November 1944
Leslie James Miles to his brother Cecil "We were never meant to go groping through the darkness carrying death to other human beings, it is all wrong really, but at present someone has to do it and I suppose it is those who are fit and adapted for that sort of thing who have to do the job."
Lance Cpl Miles Partrige to his sister Margaret "The old ending to a letter ‘It won’t be long now’ is rather worn out and so I’ll just say. All the very best." Sent from: Posen, Poland
Lt William Richard Watkins to his wife and daughter "The war still seems to be going on fairly well. I hope that we can keep it up. I think we shall. My God what a great day it will be when it ends. I should think everyone would go mad or something." Sent from: Florence, Italy Date of letter: 31 August 1944
Letters between Joan Page and Charles Page "It’s surprising darling how quietly this marvellous news has been taken by the troops out here on the whole." Sent from: Athens, Greece Date of letter: 9 May 1945
Private Freddie Jones to his brother Norman "I am glad to hear all the goat are alright, send me the photo of you on as soon as you can" Date of letter: 25 April 1944
Capt Wilfrid Holmes Stapleford to his mother "Since yesterday morning I have been at a ‘Displaced Persons’ Camp, and have had very little time to spare. I have had a very hectic time trying to cope, but they come in in hundreds – all nationalities, and mostly P.O.W.s." Sent from: Berlin
Joe Profit to his wife Tessie on her birthday "Somebody cares a lot for you / Where ever you are, what ever you do" Sent from: Stalag IVB Date of letter: 25 April 1944
A grateful French family to Captain Ernest Fisher OBE "We thank you very much for your kindness in taking us over and to save us again from the Germans" Sent from: London Date of letter: 18 June 1940
Sam Townsend to his parents "It is a peculiar sensation to be suddenly faced with the fact that when one goes out you haven’t got to be continually checking up with troops on where the bosch are and to believe that one won’t get shot at again - quite a relief! No blown bridges - no mines - no booby traps - an no more nightmares!" Sent from: Hamburg Date of letter: 7 May 1945
Flight Sergeant Norman Woodford Davies to his sister Patricia "I'm sure I shall find it difficult to recognise you again. How about a photograph?" Sent from: Stallag Luft III, near Sagan, Germany Date of letter: 7 July 1944
Craftsman Leonard Eldridge to his mother Florence "Mother would you kindly send me a letter or some kind of word you see it his a pretty long time now since I heard from you, if you could send me a few lines I would be very grateful" Sent from: Hospital near Caserta, Italy
Herbert Reed to his wife Hilda "Less than eight weeks to wait for leave - assuming that fate is kind - and why shouldn't she be? We're an awfully nice couple!" Sent from: Wadebridge Cornwall Date of letter: 15 April 1944
Major J S Holland to his wife Kathleen "Some of my companions were reduced to boiled nettles and dandelion leaves. This will give you some idea of the state of hunger which existed. Some days we had no strength to do anything but just lie in bed" Sent from: Brunswick, Germany Date of letter: 13 April 1945
Allan Chuck to his pen friend Dorothy Adams "I had to have two innoculations. When I went in to be done he was standing there with the hypodermic needle in his hand and a leering grin on his face and when he stuck the needle in my arm he must have thought he was on bayonet practice or something" Date of letter: 1 August 1945
June Baker to her brother Dennis "We saw Henry V when we went up to London, it is the best film I have ever seen, although it is from one of Shakespeare’s plays not even Daddy found it a bit dry." Sent from: Thame, Oxfordshire Date of letter: 1 January 1945
Trooper James William Warburton to his mother "I received a letter from Eddie and he told me to keep my head down but it seems I wasn't quick enough" Sent from: Ostend, Belgium Date of letter: 12 April 1945
English (UK)English (UK)
