Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Title
Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Description
Number 4. Reports he is more cheerful but hungry. Writes of possibilities of food in Red Cross parcels. Writes that he is busy looking after his hut, mentions study opportunities and garden. News of servicemen and prisoners he knows. He is longing for her first letter. Mentions his quota to her is two letters and three postcards a month.
Creator
Date
1942-06-22
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
Two page handwritten letter
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
EValentineJRMValentineUM420622
Transcription
Mrs U.M. Valentine
Lido
Tenterden Grove
Hendon, London N W 4
England
From
John R.M. Valentine
M-Stammlager Luft 3
Deutchland
Censor stamps Gerpruft 32
No 4 Monday 22/6/42
My Dearest Ursula, Am feeling much more cheerful than when I wrote before but still hungry. If you or my parents know of anyone living outside the British Empire would you ask them to send food parcels as often as possible. Food parcels from all parts of the Empire (except N. Africa) are pooled by the Red Cross and distributed communally. I think of you always and each evening at 11.15 (lights out) I try to imagine being with you for a few minutes. Do the same please. I am kept fairly busy here looking after the hut of which I am the Leader, and hope soon to start studying German and Shorthand seriously. We have a garden and packets of seeds would be welcome. You can send tobacco and fags duty free from the manufacturers. Let me have plenty of both and ask Father to do likewise. So far as I can ascertain none of George’s crew escaped. I went to Church twice yesterday. I hope to go every morning to a short service at 8 am but won’t attend communion yet. Am longing for your first letter and some photographs but don’t expect anything. For two months yet. My quota to you will be two letters like this and 3 postcards per month, and 1 postcard to Barnet. I see quite a lot of Vera’s husband who bears his two years captivity really well. I am still too weak to take much exercise but hope soon to be more used to less food and thus feel stronger Jock Wight says that if he were to meet the most beautiful girl in the world all he would say is “sister you would look much nicer roasted!” All my fondest love for ever to you and Frances. John
Ps this is my fourth missive to you
Lido
Tenterden Grove
Hendon, London N W 4
England
From
John R.M. Valentine
M-Stammlager Luft 3
Deutchland
Censor stamps Gerpruft 32
No 4 Monday 22/6/42
My Dearest Ursula, Am feeling much more cheerful than when I wrote before but still hungry. If you or my parents know of anyone living outside the British Empire would you ask them to send food parcels as often as possible. Food parcels from all parts of the Empire (except N. Africa) are pooled by the Red Cross and distributed communally. I think of you always and each evening at 11.15 (lights out) I try to imagine being with you for a few minutes. Do the same please. I am kept fairly busy here looking after the hut of which I am the Leader, and hope soon to start studying German and Shorthand seriously. We have a garden and packets of seeds would be welcome. You can send tobacco and fags duty free from the manufacturers. Let me have plenty of both and ask Father to do likewise. So far as I can ascertain none of George’s crew escaped. I went to Church twice yesterday. I hope to go every morning to a short service at 8 am but won’t attend communion yet. Am longing for your first letter and some photographs but don’t expect anything. For two months yet. My quota to you will be two letters like this and 3 postcards per month, and 1 postcard to Barnet. I see quite a lot of Vera’s husband who bears his two years captivity really well. I am still too weak to take much exercise but hope soon to be more used to less food and thus feel stronger Jock Wight says that if he were to meet the most beautiful girl in the world all he would say is “sister you would look much nicer roasted!” All my fondest love for ever to you and Frances. John
Ps this is my fourth missive to you
Collection
Citation
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine, “Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula ,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed May 1, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/19207.
Item Relations
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