Unless I've missed it, I couldn't find a thread dealing with this all important subject so I'm going to start one. My own parents were tremendously supportive and my father never missed a week in sending me a letter and the occasional parcel. That didn't mean to say that I actually received a letter every week , the APO (Army Post Office) was notoriously erratic and sometimes when the post caught up with us in the line we could get up to ten letters at one go. On one memorable occasion a small parcel contained a bottle of ink which got smashed in transit and sucessfully dyed all the contents ! The rest of my family also played their part and even the ARP Post in which I'd served in the year prior to my call-up sent me news-sheets and packets of cigarettes. Like most of my compatriots I had to wait three years for my first leave to home and I wrote about it here: BBC - WW2 People's War - The photo in a serviceman's wallet and here: BBC - WW2 People's War - My Welcome Home
Ron, It sounds like the post from home was a very essential ingredient to Morale. I can image those who received little or no post were quite envious of those who did. Regards Tom
Good page on the Army Postal Service . Royal Engineers Museum - Specialist - Second World War Army Postal Services (1939-45) Couple of my mates at work still in it with RLC, one went to Kosovo & they both got called up for Gulf War in 2003 but served in UK.
Tom It was not uncommon for the contents of letters to be "shared" amongst friends and I can even remember being shown one "Dear John" letter from a poor, unsuspecting recipient. You are of course dead right, post was immensely important to morale and the Army always seemed to do their best. It would be nice to say that I always replied promptly but this was not always convenient or sometimes even possible. I remember on one occasion when my younger sister had not received replies from me for some time she wrote me a letter that consisted only of the four words "WHY DON'T YOU WRITE!" I got the message, loud and clear, and rapidly mended my ways !