Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Title
Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Description
Number 10. Writes that he has received her first two letters. Discuses small chance that other crews from the operation survived as only a small number now in his camp. Asks when she heard from Red Cross that he was prisoner. Mentions his poor health. Looks forward to her letters. Sends latest chess move.
Creator
Date
1942-07-14
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
EValentineJRMValentineUM420714
Transcription
Mrs U.M. Valentine
Lido
Tenterden Grove
Hendon, London N W 4
England
From
John R.M. Valentine
450
M-Stammlager Luft 3
Deutchland
Censor stamps Gerpruft 32
No. 10 14-7-42
Darling Ursula: Your first two letters arrived today and cheered me tremendously. I have often thought of the anxious time you must have had before knowing of my safety and although my heart bled for you I was powerless. I think of you always and without fail each night at 11 pm. I have a short session on which I try to imagine being with you. I’m afraid that Norman’s chances of survival are poor. I believe all those alive from his raid are here and they give no hope of others It is almost certain that he is dead. Please give Vera my sincere condolences her circumstances are tragic. Only a small minority of our losses survive and I count myself as extremely lucky especially having you to return to & to think of and love all the time. Who is HARVEY whom you mention so often in your letter? When did you hear from the Red Cross about me and receive my first letter? I wrote before the card to Barnet. I have been a “good boy” for two months now (honest) but my religious experience is as unsatisfactory as ever. I am almost fit, at last, but still suffering badly from chronic constipation – at times it's been almost desperate. Now that we have established communication I look forward to many letters all about you and Frances – don’t neglect any little detail & please send snaps. Life is incredibly monotonous – no one day is any different from another & we are very confined. I wish that I could write more often and at greater length. Please send a German grammar. and dictionary. Chess move P-Q4 I hadn’t expected more for some time yet so you can imagine how thrilled I am today. Truly a red letter day. Fondest love for ever, John
Lido
Tenterden Grove
Hendon, London N W 4
England
From
John R.M. Valentine
450
M-Stammlager Luft 3
Deutchland
Censor stamps Gerpruft 32
No. 10 14-7-42
Darling Ursula: Your first two letters arrived today and cheered me tremendously. I have often thought of the anxious time you must have had before knowing of my safety and although my heart bled for you I was powerless. I think of you always and without fail each night at 11 pm. I have a short session on which I try to imagine being with you. I’m afraid that Norman’s chances of survival are poor. I believe all those alive from his raid are here and they give no hope of others It is almost certain that he is dead. Please give Vera my sincere condolences her circumstances are tragic. Only a small minority of our losses survive and I count myself as extremely lucky especially having you to return to & to think of and love all the time. Who is HARVEY whom you mention so often in your letter? When did you hear from the Red Cross about me and receive my first letter? I wrote before the card to Barnet. I have been a “good boy” for two months now (honest) but my religious experience is as unsatisfactory as ever. I am almost fit, at last, but still suffering badly from chronic constipation – at times it's been almost desperate. Now that we have established communication I look forward to many letters all about you and Frances – don’t neglect any little detail & please send snaps. Life is incredibly monotonous – no one day is any different from another & we are very confined. I wish that I could write more often and at greater length. Please send a German grammar. and dictionary. Chess move P-Q4 I hadn’t expected more for some time yet so you can imagine how thrilled I am today. Truly a red letter day. Fondest love for ever, John
Collection
Citation
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine, “Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 18, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/19212.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.