Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Number 39. Mentions letters and parcels, and their contents, that have arrived. Discusses medicines and his health. Writes that Christmas was dull but they were allowed some watery beer. mentions theatrical show and that they are allowed to have lights on late for new year. Writes of progress with violin and that some colleagues are spending 4th Christmas in captivity.

1942-12-31

Two page handwritten letter

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EValentineJRMValentineUM421231

NUMBER 39 31 – 12 – 42
Darling Ursula: My last letter to you this year. Have been saving it in the hope of having some of yours to answer but only 1 has arrived this month & 1 from Barnet. I have done well as regards parcels though thank to your splendid efforts. I have one from GAT of New York containing mostly sweets & milk powder. 1 from your Mother containing chiefly slippers & shirt (most useful) 3 from Sweden most very large but nevertheless appreciated. Some tins of fish arrived from Portugal before Xmas & added to our festive fare. My fathers invalid comforts parcel which came some weeks ago had a small tin of Samelogen & some Glucodin which I am taking & hoping with the further help of Argolene to recover me sense of lousite [sic] etc which still evades recapture. Have a [unreadable word] a letter of greeting from George Tanishe whom please thank. Xmas here was fairly dull dispite [sic] efforts to enliven proceedings. We were allowed a little watery beer which failed to produce the slightest semblance of intoxication. Last night we had a show at our theatre – a revue of sorts which was quite bright in spe [sic] I think that ishands [sic] all my news. I thought of you often (as a matter of fact’d that is quite a habit with me) & I shall again do so specially tonight when we sit up to greet 1943. We are being allowed lights in our rooms till 2 am. The privilege of ushering in a New Year on your company has been denied me so far; perhaps next year I shall be luckier but more likely the following year I fear. My progress (if it may be so called) with the fiddle is painfully slow although I manage to average about 2 hours practice per day some days I do more others less. I still keep very busy & never, never find time hanging heavily on my hands. The reverse is quite the case. Dispite the rapid passing of days & weeks the months seem to mount very slowly & I have just completed my seventh. It seems a much longer time since I saw you last while for those unfortunate colleagues of mine who have now spent their 4th Xmas in captivity home & freedom must seem like another life. Grim monolony [sic] just about describes [deleted] tho [/deleted] the life perfectly but I really don’t grumble – I’m very lucky to be alive & am as well treated as is possible in this country. We just aout cope on the food but wouldn’t mind a spot of variety
Lots of love & best wishes for 1943. Yours for Frances John.
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[underlined] Kriegsgefangenenpost [/underlined]
[sticker] EXAMINER 9507 P.C.90 [/sticker]
[postmark] PRUFT 32 [/postmark]
An MRS U.M. VALENTINE
LIDO
Empfangsort: TENTERDEN GROVE
StraBe: HENDON
Kreis: LONDON N.W4
Land: ENGLAND
Landesteil (Provinz usw.)
[sticker] OPENED BY EXAMINER [/sticker]
Absender:
Vor- und Zuname: Sgt JRM VALENTINE
Gefangenennummer: 450
Lager-Bezeichnung: M.-Stammlager Luft 3
[underlined] Deutschland (Germany) [/underlined]
[page break]