Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Number 2. Requests items to be sent and records letters received with photographs. Sends condolences and mentions shock over news about previous boss. Records parcels arriving from Sweden and America. Writes of diminution of appetite possibly due to monotonous diet. Writes of his love and admiration of her.

1943-03-05

Two page handwritten letter

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.

EValentineJRMValentineUM430305-01

NUMBER 2
5/3/43

Darling Ursula: I have quite a number of things to tell you & will probably forget some. First of all I have been intending to ask you for a long time to send me a comb & also in each parcel a packet of razor blades which are not easy to come by. Two lovely letters of yours came today, Nos 46 & 49 so that No 40 is still the only missing one. The enclosed photos were welcome especially the one of you in your Mayfair gown. How I long to see you in it again! Please convey my condolences to the Popes. I share your feelings about the old lady. I had an awful shock when I read of Mr Tait. I had a very great liking (almost affection) for him. He was the kindest of bosses that any man could have. I shall send a card to Mrs Tait but can’t spare one to [one indecipherable word] – would you tell George T of my very real sorrow. The two parcels from Sweden were identical very small – but it wasn’t the senders fault I am sure – I imagine that only standard parcels are allowed. A 4th USA parcel has arrived this time from John Johnston of New York – a relative of my Fathers. I have asked him to send my thanks. I have consumed only 1 USA parcel so far & am keeping the others against more evil[?] times. I shall be sorry if no more come but my honest opinion is that it is only right that personally addressed food parcels should be stopped so that everyman has the same. We are all noticing a considerable diminution in our appetites nowadays. We get no more to eat than in the [one indecipherable word] – probably the monotony of the diet has caused the drop in appetite for we are all fit & cheerful. I am so glad (really & truly) to hear of your recreation[?] with Mary Simmonds. I feel that you are having a tough time of it & you haven’t had a holiday since we were at the How…[?] & it wasn’t exactly a holiday then. I am deadly serious Ursula, about the next few lines – they are not written merely to gratify you. I should like solemnly to place on record my sincerest admiration for you – in every possible respect. The way you are behaving now – working almost ceaselessly at one thing & then another absolutely thrills me. My love for you always was boundless but it is richer & more profound than ever. I honour you, my darling, for what you are & for what you are doing. How nearly you were a widow! All my love. John.

[page break]

[reverse of letter]

GEPRUFT 64

MRS E M VALENTINE
LIDO
TENTERDEN GROVE
HENDON
LONDON NW4
ENGLAND

[/reverse of letter]

[page break]