Letters from the Western Front - Episode 1 - Keeping the fires of love alive
During the First World War about 2 billion letters were delivered by the British army postal service and in 1917 alone 19,000 mailbags crossed the Channel every day.
This correspondence was a vital means of reassuring sweethearts, wives and mothers of continuing love and care.
Historian, Hayley Louise, of the University of Worcester, has studied archives of letters and cards between men at the Front to women from Worcestershire and the surrounding counties.
In the first of a series of three audio podcasts she explores how mothers, wives and soldiers at the Front sought and gained reassurance from this intimate exchange of news and feelings.
Acknowledgements:
- The private collection of Sean Brown.
- Monica Parker daughter of Arthur Chaytor Pepper. Letters archived within the RAF Museum, Cosford.
Keywords: Women, World War I, Worcestershire