Love on the frontline: letters between lovers in World War Two. Part 1

…so writes Jimmy Ewens, a corporal in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) stationed in the Middle East in 1942 to Freda Schofield, a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). This letter is one example of an extensive collection of correspondence between Jimmy and Freda, sent between 1940 and 1944. Posted with small objects such as drawings and dried flowers, these letters were the only connection between lovers during the war.

Jimmy and Freda were introduced via the post by a mutual friend in 1940  and began writing to each other before meeting in person, building a bond through photos and letters. Starting a postal relationship before an in-person relationship was common during the war, when conscription put a pause on normal ways for young people to meet (Schwender, 2014).These letters preserve the inner world of ordinary people that otherwise would be unknown to us today. They reveal the couple’s emotional struggles and their resilience at a moment of crisis.

Mail Service during the Second World War

Rising literacy rates and limited access to other technologies, such as telephones or telegraphs, made letter writing the main mode of communication among people. However, mail service during the Second World War was often delayed, which cause anxieties and fears for those waiting to hear from their loved ones. Jimmy expressed his feelings about the inconsistent mail delivery:

Diseases and Casualties

384,000 British soldiers died in the Second World War. Death was an inescapable part of everyday life. Jimmy’s letters from the front line help us understand the condition of ordinary soldiers during the war. Jimmy wrote to Freda, ‘All my old friends except four have gone out that way, so I won’t leave them with nobody to follow.’ (E17181/19) describing the frequent casualties of people around him. The despair of the situation led him to dissuade Freda from joining the WAAF, ‘forget it please… unless you want to go mad. [crossed out] isn’t exactly an ideal seaside resort, unless you’ve given up all hope of living.’ (E17181/19).

Disease, especially malaria, was rampant among the troops and claimed more lives than the enemy. The heat and the mosquitos were inescapable and a part of everyday life in the sweltering tropics. Jimmy frequently mentioned the horrors of malaria, hot weather and the relentless mosquitos. In a letter from 1944, he wrote:

Shadow of a Doubt

Forced separation in wartime was a crucible of emotions for young couples like Freda and Jimmy. The vast physical distance and the sporadic communication disrupted their bond, sometimes leading to confusion and disbelief. Jimmy, in his letters, often compared their relationship to a mirage:

you and I it is too hard to realise it out here. It’s like the mirage’s a kind of haze that you can never be quite sure whether it’s there or not. (E17181/26)

 

When the only tether between them were their letters, they struggled to validate the authenticity of their relationship having never met in person.
Their separation also caused insecurity. When Freda mentioned a male friend in her letter, Jimmy’s fears took hold, as he questioned:

Sensitive military information such as location, goals, and names of comrades was censored, and so wasn’t allowed to be discussed in any communications. This left little for soldiers to share with their loved ones, apart from day-to-day events. Worried that Freda would be bored by his daily life, Jimmy explained in a letter that he had to rely on ‘trivial little things’ since his work could not be discussed. Letters from home were subject to less censorship due to fewer concerns with leaking military information, which allowed Freda to share more with Jimmy.

‘Prepared for that Reunion Kiss’

During times of separation and conflict, historical letters usually show how couples find comfort in imagining their future reunion and family life. As the present can be difficult to endure, the hope of a future together after the war keeps them going. This idealised future becomes a source of motivation, making the wait and hardships more bearable.

Freda and Jimmy proposed various plans to make up for the time lost due to war, including meeting up for the first time. Jimmy has prepared for that reunion kiss that he would greet Freda with and shall expect quite a few critical remarks from you…(E17181/57) The two also made plans to go on holiday to the seaside and the Lake District and even started to imagine having children together:

Women’s Writing and Role during the Second World War

Our collection of letters was mainly written by Jimmy during his time serving in the Middle East and preserved by Freda. We recently received a further donation of Freda’s diaries from her niece. This revealed that she kept all the letters carefully and made an index for letters sent and received, while she was holding the home front waiting for Jimmy to return.

The emotional weight often motivated women at home to preserve their letters, but rules in the army didn’t always allow for this. For example, Jimmy commented on his desire to keep Freda’s letters but was not allowed:

Due to strict military rules, constant movements, uncertain mail service and sometimes personal neglect, letters sent to soldiers from home were often not kept. On the contrary, more private letters written by men to their families were preserved by those at home. This leaves us little evidence of ordinary women’s emotional life during the war, with their voices often lacking and presenting an imbalance in our archives.

Luckily, this could be partially compensated by the small collection of Freda’s diaries The Postal Museum recently received. Freda’s memorabilia reveals another aspect of women’s life during the Second World War— a life that is not limited to domestic spaces but out in the world. As women’s range of duties expanded during the war, female conscription was introduced in December 1941, and many young women joined military auxiliary services. Freda enrolled in the WAAF on the 24 July 1942. While serving in the military, Freda travelled widely and was stationed in India, Malaysia, and Singapore, before returning to Britain in 1947.

Learn more about Jimmy and Freda and their love letters on Part 2.