Letter to prisoner of war John Valentine from his wife Ursula

Letter to prisoner of war John Valentine from his wife Ursula

Asks what sort of books he would like her to send and says she is doing best she can with food parcels. Mentions that income tax assessment has arrives and provides some financial details. Writes that his kit arrived from depository along with inventory. Concludes with domestic matters.

1942-08-08

Two sided handwritten letter card

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.

EValentineUMValentineJRM420808

Start of transcription
[underlined] IMPORTANT: [/underlined] FOR A PRISONER IN GERMAN HANDS THE PRISONER OF WAR No. MUST BE CLEARLY SHOWN. IT MUST NOT BE CONFUSED WITH HIS BRITISH SERVICE No.

[underlined] PRISONER OF WAR POST [/underlined]
KRIEGSGEFANGENENPOST
SERVICE DES PRISONNIERS DE GUERRE

[postmark]

[postmark] GEPRUFT 32 [/postmark]

[postage stamp]

RANK & NAME: Sergeant J.R.M. VALENTINE (SURNAME IN BLOCK LETTERS) RAF No. 1251404 British Prisoner of War

[ink stamp] Kings Crown PASSED P.U.48 [/ink stamp]

PRISONER OF WAR No.: Not Yet Known (SEE NOTE ON FLAP)

CAMP NAME & No.: STALAG LUFT III (INCLUDING SUBSIDIARY NUMBERING OR LETTERING IF ANY - E.G. WORKING CAMP)

4715 COUNTRY: Germany

FROM (SENDER’S FULL NAME & ADDRESS)

Mrs J.R.M. Valentine
Lido,
Tenterden Grove,
London N.W.4.

[underlined] BOTTOM PANEL [/underlined]

you are sharing a room with Dutchmen? It seems a good chance. What type of books would you like me to send you - e.g. history, ancient or modern, or travel? Am doing my best about food parcels, but it will take time. [missing] Keep cheerful, dearest, I’m thinking of you & longing for you always. Frances sends you a big kiss. All my love, Ursula.

[page break]

WRITE [underlined] VERY CLEARLY [/underlined] ON THE LINES TO AVOID DELAY IN CENSORSHIP

[underlined] No.13 [/underlined] 28/8 DATE August 8th 1942

Johnnie my darling, Our income tax assessment has arrived today, totalling 2 instalments of £27.8.9 each. GAT is £213, deductions £35. There is no mention of RAF - is that deducted at source? I suppose the above will be deducted from the allowance, so that I shall not have to set aside the £5. Anyway I don’t seem to be required to pay anything now, so that’s a blessing! Post War Credit is £3.12.6!!

Your kit arrived from the depository yesterday. It tallied with the inventory they sent, but whether the inventory tallied with your original belongings I don’t know! I’ll enclose the inventory in my next letter. Anyway the tennis & squash racquets are here, also your new cigarette case (I meant you to carry that always!) & your writing case & correspondence. Shall I throw away all those letters of mine? They sent the suitcase & racquets in an enormous wooden packing case, so nothing is damaged.

I have bought a little tin oven today for 8/-. It stands on top of the gas or other stove & is said to save a vast amount of fuel, as it heats with much less gas, than the big oven.

Barbara is sending you one or two enlargements of the latest photos. There’s a grand one of Frances & one of me that I hope you will like. I have just made Frances a skirt for the winter out of remnants of that rust red corduroy I used for my own skirt, & am knitting a green jumper to go with it. Why don’t you learn Dutch since

CONTINUE IN BOTTOM PANEL OVERLEAF

End of transcription