Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Number 55. Thanks her for a parcel and he asks her to trace the sender of some books he has received. He also mentions that he is looking forward to a concert that the Symphony Orchestra will perform the following day. He goes on to explain how he made his escape from the aircraft that was going down and how he was captured after baling out.

1943-02-18

Two page handwritten letter

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EValentineJRMValentineUM430218

Start of transcription
Number 55
18-2-43
My Beloved Ursula: A parcel of 1/4lb C.G.B. came today - sender unknown but I expect it was my darling wife to whom I send my grateful thanks. Also to arrive from an unknown donor were 4 books 1 by John Buchan (Free Fishers) 2 Detective thrillers & an American Novel. I cannot imagine who would send them, but if you can trace the donor would you please give my thanks. Tomorrow the so called Symphony Orchestra here gives its first performance & despite its appalling reputation I am looking forward to the concert. It has just occurred to me that although I have been here all these months I have never given you any details of my entry into Germany. I can't tell you where we were shot down nor what got us, but we had a pretty hot time almost from the time we crossed into Germany & eventually we were flying at about 1500 ft with one engine ablaze, when Floyd gave the order to bale out. I then had a miraculous escape for just prior to jumping I grasped the handle to the rip chord so that I shouldn't have to fumble for it during my fall which looked like being of short duration for we were losing height very rapidly. A second later I found to my horror that I had pulled the wretched thing in my excitement & that the chute was opening in the plane under the draught from the open escape hatch. I made a hurried grab at all the silk flying around & caught in as much as possible with both arms & just fell through the hatch. Mercifully none of the trailing chute caught on any part of the plane, it just filled out automatically & I was floating gently down. A few seconds later I saw the plane hit a house below & burst into smithereens & flames instantly. Floyd was on it & just before leaving the kite I shook hands with him. When I felt the chute opening my first thought was - "Damn [?] it, I'm going to live, after all" although I hadn't had the slightest thought of not doing so even in the height of the excitement. Actually I suppose I had been subconsciously thinking of death for months before. I landed in a few seconds, just missing a house, but I fell into a ring of people & didn't get a chance to get away. I spent what was left of the night in a civilian gaol & went on to Dulag in the morning. The whole episode still seems very vivid to me & I am lucky to be alive. All my love dearest. John
[page break]
[underlined] Kriegsgefangenenpost [/underlined]
[sticker] EXAMINER 3310 [/sticker]
[ink stamp] GEPRÜFT 64 [/ink stamp]
An MRS U.M. VALENTINE
LIDO
Empfangsort: TENTERDEN GROVE
Straβe: HENDON
Kreis: LONDON N.W 4
Land: ENGLAND
Landesteil (Provinz usw.)
[underlined] Gebührenfrei! [/underlined]