Jock Carrie-Wilson to his parents "Once again I am behind barbed wire after having been free for 4 very good months." Sent from: Stalag 15 Date of letter: 23 January 1944
Gunner Bill Donaldson to his uncle Alfred and aunt Emily Kindred "Roll on good times again" Sent from: Stalag IVa, Berlin, Germany Date of letter: 2 April 1944
Julia Adams to her son Frank "Cheerio and all the best and a speedy return home" Sent from: Manchester Date of letter: 22 November 1944
Bernard Ford to his parents Charles and Olive "It was a big surprise to us when they told us the war had finished and how pleased we were" Sent from: Singapore Date of letter: 6 September 1945
Wing Commander R J Goswell to Margaret Mullen "I would like you to know how much I and the boys of the Squadron sympathise with you in your terrible anxiety and hope that even yet we may hear news of John’s safety." Date of letter: 11 July 1941
Colin Bruce Campbell to his parents "Others who were more fortunate and my own age had such a good war that I shall not recognise them for medal ribbons and would not dare to speak to them on account of their rank!" Sent from: Singapore Date of letter: 6 September 1945
Joyce Huxley Grattan to her aunt Amy "Still miss Mummy dreadfully" Sent from: Shanghai Date of letter: 17 October 1944
Bill Churchill to his sister Nancy "This is an occasion when I must congratulate you both on the happy event, I trust you and baby are quite well" Sent from: Stalag VIIIB Date of letter: 8 October 1944
Lt John Payne to Peggy Burton "News from you of Elizabeth and yourself, the news in fact that she is to be christened Elizabeth Gordon, of which I do approve, has made me feel quite light headed" Sent from: POW camp, Italy Date of letter: 21 December 1942
Wesley Jones to his mother Hannah "What a sight them Yankee troops were to me who seen nothing but German soldiers for five years. I believe we all went hysterical, and can you blame us" Sent from: Poland
Sgt Richard Williams to his wife "I had hoped to be with you fate thought otherwise." Sent from: Sagan (now Żagań, Poland)
W Herman to the parents of Tom Gallagher "There is still a hope of his quick release but until then don't worry to much as Jerry has a great respect for British soldiers." Date of letter: 25 April 1945
Lt. Corporal Frank Champkin to Florence Champkin "I am a prisoner of war. I am fit and well. Hope you are." Sent from: Changi POW camp Singapore Date of letter: 20 June 1942
Stanley Robert Hawke to his mother Mary "Glad you well. I am." Sent from: Changi, Singapore Date of letter: 8 August 1944
George Tuck to his son Gerald "I only wish I was home with you all my dear little Gerald." Sent from: Java, Indonesia Date of letter: 1 October 1942
Rev. R Leader to Bertram Hind "I'm afraid you will have heard by now that your son is missing. First, I must tell you that there is a good chance that he is a prisoner." Date of letter: 1 January 1970
Bill Hind to his brother Ted "Just a line to let you know I am alive and kicking in this dump" Sent from: Ceylon
James Chapman to Harriet Chapman "We are still having a fairly good trip, and manage to find plenty of amusement, through we have to make a lot of it ourselves"
Flt Eng Sgt Jack Kenneth English to his sister Rita "I am getting quite fit playing rugby etc, there is little else to do except read. I fear this life will make me incurably lazy." Sent from: Stalag Luft 3, Germany Date of letter: 8 April 1944
Able Seaman Rayner Blanch to his parents Eric and Biddy Blanch "I'm glad to have the chance of doing something constructive for the war, or what is more important, the peace." Sent from: Sydney, Australia Date of letter: 15 September 1945
Albert Norman Sadd’s wartime recollections "Just before the end of the War the Germans marched us out of the camp towards the West in the direction of the advancing British and American troops and away from the advancing Russians. After a couple of days the German guards vanished and we were left to our own devices. Eventually I met up with advancing Americans who took me to Regensberg."
Victory Harding to Phyllis Harding "I have been taken prisoner of war in Germany. I am in good health." Sent from: Germany Date of letter: 13 September 1944
Thomas Bradford to Shirley Bradstreet "Are you still keeping up your dancing lessons? I hope you'll soon be teaching me the latest steps" Sent from: Italy
John Kyles Ewing to John Aveyard Ewing "Dawn harbours surely / East of the shadows. Facing us somewhere / Spread the sweet meadows" Sent from: Shanghai, China
Maurice Read to Beryl Margaret Hawkins Read "One thing, I think, which may effect my health or digestion is the amount of rice we are given to eat having it in some form or other for every meal, although I believe it is supposed to do one good!" Sent from: Batavia, Java (now Jakarta, Indonesia) Date of letter: 28 April 1942
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
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
Maurice Morgan to his mother Nellie Morgan "I've been seeing a fair bit of the world since I left and it didn't take me long to find out that 'there's no place like home'." Sent from: Bombay, India Date of letter: 8 September 1945
English (UK)English (UK)
