Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula

Number 144-1. Congratulates her on progress with house. Mentions family illness, time to get into London from new home, and catches up with family friends. Thanks for violin strings. Mention proposed writing schedule. Reminisces on wedding four years ago and mentions Rolex's conditions for sending watches as gifts only. Comments on climate.

1944-01-06

Two page handwritten letter

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EValentineJRMValentineUM440106

Start of transcription
STALAG LUFT III
LAGER “A”
6th Jan 1944
Darling Ursula: Your letter of 22nd Nov here. ([censored word] as one still waiting) Hearty congratulations on your energetic procedure in getting possession of house & tackling the work of decorating etc. Pity I’m so bloody useless! Hope you won’t overdo things. Please send full details of house & garden. Im [sic] dying for news of it & so keen. When you saw G. Touche, did you receive any impression as to how I stand in his eyes? Was a bit shaken to hear that you took 2 1/2 hours to get from city to house. Is that normal? Very sorry to hear of Frances & your Mother having flu. Hope they both got well quickly & that neither you nor anyone else succumbed. Did Frances enjoy being an invalid when the worst was over? Thanks [underlined] so much [/underlined] for getting another violin & strings sent. You certainly do everything you can for me. If you can possibly repay A.S.T. without crippling yourself financially, I’d like you to do so. Please send Irene my congrats. Please tell me dates of dispatch of all mail from here that you have received & continue to do so until we leave. I shall be able in future to write only once a week & will do so each Sunday so you can keep a check. This is my first this year & I’ll write next on 9th Jan. Four years ago today, my darling, you & I were married. I love you more, if possible, than I did then but to mark the anniversary am powerless to do more than remind you of my love & my longing to be reunited with you, never again to part. I wish you would give me your honest opinion as to when that is likely to occur. I yearn for it always. Have heard from Grunfeld’s Swiss friends that they can only send the Rolex watches if they give Rolex a promise that they are a gift & that no demand will be made upon me after the war for repayment. Naturally they are not inclined to do this The climate here continues to be indescribably awful we get spells of severe weather when everything is solid mingled with periods of the most terribly damp slush which no boots can withstand I’d give a lot for the missing parcel. The low temperature adds another difficulty to my fiddle practice. Please don’t imagine that I’ll ever be able to play. Musically I’m naught but a clod & I suffer acutely from harmonic amnesia (loss of melody). Nevertheless I struggle along, undaunted. Once again my warmest thanks for all you are doing towards [underlined] our [/underlined] home. I appreciate everything & love you so.
John.
[page break]
144/1
[underlined] Kriegsgefangenenpost [/underlined]
[stamp]
Am MRS U.M. VALENTINE
[deleted] c/o LITTLE CLOSE [/deleted]
[inserted] Felmersham [/inserted]
[stamp]
Empfangsort: [deleted] DEVON RD [/deleted]
[inserted] Bottrell’s Lane [/inserted]
Strasse: [deleted] SALCOMBE [/deleted]
Kreis: [deleted] DEVON [/deleted]
[inserted] Chalfont St Giles [/inserted]
Land: ENGLAND
[inserted] Bucks. [/inserted]
[postmark]
Absender:
Vor- und Zuname: Sgt. J.R.M. VALENTINE
Gefangenennummer: 450
Lager-Bezeichnung: [deleted] Kriegsgefangenenlager Nr. 6 der Luftwaffe [/deleted]
[inserted] STALAG LUFT III LAGER “A” [/inserted]
Deutschland (Allemagne)