WWII Letter Examples.
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Beryl Williams and Ralph James
Beryl Williams and Ralph James married on 21 February 1941. Three months later, Ralph joined the Royal Australian Air Force and was stationed in Darwin, flying Hudson bombers. The pair exchanged intimate and honest letters throughout their separation.
Always dear I’ll owe you the world for the happiness you have given me since I met you and especially since we’ve been married. With all my heart I can say they’ve been the happiest years of my life to date and all because you are such an adorably maddening, passionately tender and altogether perfect wife and lover – I’m sure you understand me better than I do myself so perhaps you understand what I’m trying to say – that I love you body and soul, now and always, so much that the thought of you with me is just torture because we’re apart.
¼ of our time gone and before you know it I’ll be snuggling you up each night with your soft warm skin close against mine; but first I’ll have to warn the fairies so that they can hide every nightie and pair of jamas you have. Sometimes when I dream dear, I seem to feel your marvellous lips pressing against mine and smell the perfume that is you; but as soon as I reach out to hold you you’re gone and I sit up cursing away – failed again.
Letter from Ralph James to Beryl James, 9 September 1942. AWM PR00661
Ralph also tried to alleviate Beryl’s fears for his safety:
I’d sure like to have snuggled up in your cot with you on Sunday 27th dearest heart. Wouldn’t it be grand if it were cold outside with the rain beating on the roof and you cuddled up close to me so’s we could keep warm. Your letters sounded awfully worried dear over that week-end. Please don’t worry will you scamp because the Nip just isn’t built who could stop me coming home to you and if I ever were shot into the sea I guess I could swim all the way home to you dearest. You’re the most marvellously modest person there ever was and in case you still don’t know it I’m completely and utterly tragically in love with you and will never be any other way.
Letter from Ralph James to Beryl James, 7 October 1942, AWM PR00661
During their separation, Beryl lived with her family, who owned a hotel in Queensland which was a popular place for rest and recreation with Australian and American troops. It played on Ralph’s mind that Beryl was in frequent contact with hundreds of men.
Darling seriously is there anything wrong? Your letters have sounded strange lately as [if] there was something wrong on your mind. If there is anything at all worrying you I’d prefer you’d tell me, no matter what is was dear. With the hotel full of army coves and so many airmen and other servicemen calling in I guess you’re meeting more men than you ever have before. I know you don’t throw yourself at people as Joan does dear and that if you have met someone you like an awful lot, that is jolly serious. I know I’m no casket prize and that there are a lot of jolly fine chaps around. That’s why if you have fallen in love with someone else I’d prefer you say so and we’ll see what can be done. One thing though I’ll be damned if I’ll give you up easily – I’ve grown to love you so much in these last two years that somehow I just can’t imagine a life without you. It would be pretty bloody awful.
Letter from Ralph James to Beryl James, 29 January 1943, AWM PR00661
Beryl hadn’t fallen in love with anyone else. But just three months after writing this letter, Ralph’s bomber suffered from engine failure, and he was killed when it crashed into the Arafura Sea. After Ralph’s death, Beryl went on to marry twice more, but never had any children.