Dorothy May's journal

Dorothy May's journal

Letters written to be read by her husband on his return from the war. She discusses events in Freiburg, and her feelings about them.

Dorothy May was an English woman married to a German national, Teddy, serving in the German army during WW2. The journal consists of around 600 pages, broken down into 4 files. Her husband was taken prisoner and incarcerated in Stalingrad. The journal takes the form of many letters to her husband, describes her life in Freiberg, where she lives in hope that Teddy will be able to return home. She writes of her relationships in the neighbourhood, helping to look after his mother (who is constantly worried about the fate of her son), food rationing, some of the suspicion she comes under as an English person. It covers a period of 4 years and describes the ongoing situation, such as bombing of local areas, the arrival of French and American troops, local houses being used for billeting the troops. She tells of her raised hopes when some locals, who had been taken prisoners of war, were released and able to return home. Her husband never returned to Freiberg and Dorothy eventually, returned to England.

589 handwritten sheets

One b/w photograph

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