General Chat

"The frankest and freest product of the human mind and heart is a love letter," wrote Mark Twain in the introduction to his autobiography. "The writer gets his limitless freedom of statement and expression from his sense that no stranger is going to see what he is writing." "

Do you have them, do you hoard them, do you write them still, do you cherish the " I luv u" on a mobile as much as the poetic verse or passionate prose written on paper?

Do you have any that have been written by grandparents etc which are very special to you, because they have given you insight into the people who were just 'names' on your tree?

( I'm asking so many questions because I'm trying to avoid commenting on 'moderators' topics here and on FB ;) lol)

I have a letter written to my Mum from my Dad when he was in South America on HMS Durban when he was in the Royal Navy. It was not a sloppy love letter but it was an affectionate one and I love the way he addresses her as 'Dear Girl'.

I wish I had kept some of mine as I had quite a few when my OH, was away for 6 months on HMS Eagle. But so many house moves later they have all been lost in the moves. I do have a couple of postcards he sent when he was away from me for a month before we were married and was due to visit. I also have a ship to shore telegram that he sent to let me know what time his ship was docking.

I have to say I was a prolific letter writer but he would only manage a couple of pages.

i have all my mum and dads letters
through war years and up to 1949
i read some last year which opened my eyes
and helped with my family search to put meat on some of the bones

i also have my letters from my hubby when he worked away
right soppy some of them are and some poetic
and i know he has mine to him

I have a whole stack of letters and cards from a past long-distance relationship. Many are cards, chosen for their pictures, relevance or 'silly' messages. We were both into writing and poetry etc. - I think it only works as a two-way thing - I sent as many as I received!

I have mine that hubby sent me when I was away for 3 weeks training, with my work.. before we were married ; and his daily postcards he sent me when he went on hols to Jerseys with his bro and 2 mates, we'd only been together for a few weeks and the hol had already been planned.

Sadly I don't have any of mum and dads , only the photos they used to send to each other during WW2, signed with loving thoughts:)

My OH writes me love letters regularly...always has.

I never write them back...I know I should...but I make sure he knows I appreciate the gesture x

I have all of mine from before we wed and I know he has his - all hidden at the back of his wardrobe which I found when I was doing a springclean but have never said.

There have been times over the years when I have threatened to read aloud to him one or two of his letters to me (usually when we have been having a discussion - or two).

I have my grandparents' love letters from1924 until their marriage in 1925 (when gran was 21 and didn't need her parents permission!!)
Also letters during the war when gran was evacuated (she had a baby)and grandad stayed in Southampton.
Then letters from1955 to1956,when grandad died,aged 59 of kidney failure, 6 weeks before I was born.
I also have love letters to my gran from a 'paramour' she had when she was in her 70's!!!
The early letters are very interesting (if a little embarrasing)- did grandparents really have sex before marriage?
They are an amazing social history of poverty (gran was in service,grandad was a docker) and family antagonism in Southampton (yes we also had poverty in the South) in the 20th century!!

I also have a few letters from my ex in our early years -not embarassing -(my eldest was 10 when she looked at her birth certificate and worked out that she was conceived before marriage!) LOL

My mum has assured me that she has destroyed her love letters!!!

A www....come on Rose.......I fancy a discussion on moderators



As for love letters.....the last one I got was years ago.....sigh! Them wos the days.

I do not have letters as foolishly when my first marriage ended, in a fit of temper I burnt them all. My OH for the last 18 years, is not a letter writer but from time to time when I was working back in the UK before we moved to Spain it was not unusual to find a message from him on the steering wheel of my car. Some were tender messages, others were practical, sometimes he would have put a new CD in for me and all set to start as soon as the car was turned on and the songs "I won;t do that" by Meat Loaf and Crazy, are still our special songs.
Even now I will find the occasional scribbled note, and yes I keep them all.

i do not have any from my ancestors, that would have been wonderful.