George Norton to his mother "GIVE MY LOVE TO ALL, SEND PLENTY OF LETTERS. KEEP CHINS UP." Sent from: POW Camp, Malaya
John Denham’s memories of VJ day "Later in the afternoon, I think it was 12 bottles of Gin arrived with the compliments of our Commanding Officer. This together with any beer that was around, some was Lion brand from Canada I think, and some issue rum that was found, a cocktail was brewed in which we all gleefully partook of." Sent from: Singapore Date of letter: 15 August 1945
Dorothy Rees to her husband Norman "SON ARRIVED MIDNIGHT APRIL 23RD. BOTH WELL." Sent from: Uppingham Rutland Date of letter: 24 April 1945
Sylvia Goldstein to her fiancé Mick "I felt myself very light-hearted and content, but oh, darling, how I missed you. I almost felt myself turning round at times expecting to find you there to share something amusing with me." Sent from: London Date of letter: 15 August 1945
Major James Dempsey to the widow of Harry Lucas "I would like to express to you in this letter of respect for your husband, that I feel the news of his death so much more keenly than I ever imagined" Sent from: Cookham-on-Thames, Maidenhead Date of letter: 17 October 1949
Tom Duckels to his wife Edna "This is a message which I have been longing to send to you but now that the time has arrived I can’t find words to express my feelings." Sent from: India Date of letter: 17 March 1946
Peter Perkins to his parents "There is a lot of unnecessary cleaning, as there always was in the peace-time army" Sent from: India Date of letter: 30 March 1944
Betty Sibthorp Findlay to her mother and great aunt "As you can imagine there is no small excitement here - bags of panic in fact! Last night I had washed my hair and sitting with it a la Lana Turner - sewing a name tape on my khaki socks when someone came along and said the war was over. Just like that. So I went on sewing!" Sent from: RAF Chapping Warden; the letter refers to Ceylon Date of letter: 9 August 1945
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
John Gardiner to his wife Sylvia "We were all turned in and fast asleep, and all of a sudden, every ship in the harbour blew off steam… I thought everyone had gone mad. Every ship fired a rocket and there was a huge fire in Devonport." Sent from: Canada Date of letter: 17 August 1943
Leonard Cox to his brother George "All well and safe. Please don't worry. My thoughts are with." Sent from: Egypt Date of letter: 14 July 1943
Malcolm Ingleby Scott to his father Thomas Davison Scott "If I have been reported wounded do not worry as I am fit now. Although underweight I am in good health and spirits." Sent from: Fukushima, Japan Date of letter: 13 April 1944
To Sidney Blake from his mother "Last night at midnight I heard people's voices, and then I listened and heard the train whistles one after another, and then the factory sirens, so out of bed we god, threw up the windows, and the fireworks were going off." Sent from: Bath Date of letter: 15 August 1945
Fred Fitt to his wife Elsie "I am getting thrilled now to think I shall soon be on old Blighty’s shore once again."
Sister Mary to the wife of a soldier who had helped repair her convent "Your dear husband is now like one of our selves roaming at will from room to room and filling the house all day with his merry whistling. God has been very good to bring him unscratched through so many and great dangers." Sent from: Rangoon Date of letter: 7 September 1945
Wilfred Beel to his family "I am a prisoner of war and I am fit and well, trust you are the same at home. Keep smiling" Sent from: Changi Jail, Singapore
Bernard Peter Pallant to his daughter Jean "My darling Baby Jean - the loveliest little baby in the whole world" Sent from: Burma
Gladys Jackson to her brother Wallie "We’re all longing for that day Wallie, when you’re sitting here having a cup of Mum’s tea, still chin up, it can’t be much longer now" Sent from: Willesden, London Date of letter: 4 September 1945
Albert Lloyd to his family "Well at last after six long years Jerry has had it, and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you all for the way you have all carried on without a moan or grumble (except Chas with his income tax, ha ha)"
Herbert Moore to his father Charles "Today we evacuated a Jap hospital which had our lads in. The sight I will never forget. All very thin with legs as big as my arms." Sent from: Japan Date of letter: 9 September 1945
Eileen Edwards to her husband Lenin "We shall all be glad when we hear that the European war has ended but I do not forget that there is another war theatre too." Sent from: Wolverhampton
Georgina Bamber to her son Eric "What your life is like I dare not think, but I know you my dear will make the best of a bad job, and try to take as much care of yourself as possible under the circumstances, because you know we are all waiting and longing for the day when you will return." Sent from: Preston, Lancashire Date of letter: 23 May 1943
Robert Harty to his wife Irene "At long last it's all over, thank God for that... I'll be round for a Victory pint soon." Date of letter: 15 August 1945
Frederick Hanson to his brother Bob "You’ll notice the envelope is stamped with a special stamp to mark the occasion of the final ending of the War." Sent from: Tokyo Bay Date of letter: 2 September 1945
Sapper Ron Ward to his wife Ethel "It may sound funny to you when I say that I want to go darling, but there are boys out there that haven’t been able to get home for years and they have wifes and families praying for them to be home, it may only be for a short while sweetheart but I will think of you and write every spare minute I have got" Sent from: Elm Grove, Brighton, Sussex Date of letter: 14 November 1944
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
Raymond Parry to his parents "All is well here with me" Sent from: Omori Camp, Japan Date of letter: 30 July 1944
Joyce Huxley Grattan to her aunt Amy "Still miss Mummy dreadfully" Sent from: Shanghai Date of letter: 17 October 1944
Danny Jordan to his wife Kathleen "I can almost picture myself in the near future, meeting for the first time my only treasure, you, darling. Keep tight hold of me, for I’m sure to faint" Sent from: India
English (UK)English (UK)
