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
George Walder to his wife Gladys "Tea was made at frequent intervals with water from the engine boiler, the resultant brew was not exactly nectar but it was hot and sweet and went down quite well." Sent from: EIN SHARMER Date of letter: 13 April 1944
Capt. George Carmichael to his fiancée Beryl "Things like this make me glad we did not get married before I left since it won’t be so bad for you if anything happens to me." Sent from: Gazala, Libya Date of letter: 6 May 1942
Arthur Kinrade to his daughter Mona "Oh ‘yes’ I could read your letter O.K. I think your writing is improving, which is more than I can say for my own especially on airgraphs." Sent from: North Africa Date of letter: 2 September 1943
Betts Edgar to her sister Freda "He came to see me last night here at the hospital, laden with a very impressive bouquet of red roses. Its all very impressive. It may last, but if it doesn’t it will be yet another happy memory of my sojourn in the East." Sent from: Egypt Date of letter: 31 October 1940
Ted Culshaw to his son Anthony "I wish you could have been out here to see the camels" Sent from: Basra, Iraq Date of letter: 16 December 1945
Percy Rodgers (Maurice Cohen Rodriguez) to his wife and daughter "The enclosed is just a worthless souvenir but also a memory of the days and nights I toiled in the Libian desert beneath an African sun to try and do my share to rid this world of the Nazi tyranny which threatened you and my children." Sent from: North Africa
Cecil Parker’s Christmas card to his brother Eric "With all best wishes for Christmas and New Year" Sent from: Jerusalem
Oliver Herbert Hill to his wife Bunty "I was asked by the Colonel, for the General (General Erskine) to design several different types of desert rats, so that he could select the one he liked best. I painted a dozen" Sent from: North Africa Date of letter: 26 October 1943
Monty Williams to his wife Grace "I shall write a love letter next time, but I am still waiting for yours, little girl" Sent from: Libya Date of letter: 21 May 1943
Private James Kirkwood to his mother Elizabeth "I am glad to hear that Roy has started work again and you say that he has not got his teeth yet" Sent from: Dornoch, Scotland Date of letter: 21 October 1940
Tom Pullen to Violet Hutchings "I am very fit and in good health although the climate is very trying indeed." Sent from: Cairo Date of letter: 23 August 1942
Bill Hind to his brother Ted "Just a line to let you know I am alive and kicking in this dump" Sent from: Ceylon
Harry Walton to his sister Mary Burke "It won't be long before we throw the hun into the sea and so clear this place up a bit"
Richard Thomas Nelligan to his brother Joseph "I am in the desert. It isn’t so bad" Sent from: Egypt Date of letter: 30 September 1942
Bill Davies to Zellah Davies (later Powell) "I expect by now our new baby has arrived and I am wondering whether it is a boy or girl." Sent from: Tabarka, Tunisia
Jock to his friend Leslie Kenneth Smith "I’m getting better slowly but I thought I was going to peg out when they brought me in here & the Doctor says it was touch & go with me for a couple of days." Sent from: POW camp, Italy
Horace Coleman to Annie Coleman "In a few days' time my four years in the Army will be up, and in about six weeks' time my three years overseas. However, perhaps by this time next year they will have reduced the period of overseas service, so if I can't spend Christmas at home this year, I'm hoping for next." Sent from: Persia (now Iran) Date of letter: 21 October 1944
Dick Boon to Doll and June "I’ve not the faintest idea on what I’ll do after the war – at least I feel entitled to be cynical about many things" Date of letter: 26 April 1944
Cpl Arthur Tustin to Mrs Edith Tustin "Soon the air was filled with flying bullets from Messerschmitts, it didn't last long owing to the appearance of Spitfires but believe me it was warm while it lasted" Sent from: North Africa
Charles Leonard Wheatley to Mrs Minnie Alice Innes "this letter leaves me still smiling and hoping this war will hurry up and finish so as I can get home once again." Sent from: North Africa Date of letter: 11 March 1943
English (UK)English (UK)
