Author Topic: Pen Pal for POW  (Read 727 times)

Offline gralorn

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Pen Pal for POW
« on: Monday 30 October 17 12:19 GMT (UK) »
My uncle was a POW during the war in Italy and supposedly spent time in Campo PG 78 and 70. During his time as a POW he was written to by a young lady from Nottingham-shire on a fairly regular basis, so much so that he was adamant that when he returned home to UK he was going to find her and marry her, which he did. She was Ruth Bellamy. I know very little about her except that she and my uncle went on to have six children and ended up living in Retford. What I would like to know is how she came to write to my uncle in the first place. Were young ladies encouraged to write to POW's, was it through the Red Cross or how. There must be some nice story here for the Family history. Any advice or information would be most appreciated.
Allard/Allwood/Alwood/ From Suffolk
Wright/Croftwright/ From London
Langmaid/ from Lanteglos By Fowey
Greig/ Banff/ Aberdeen

Offline larkspur

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Re: Pen Pal for POW
« Reply #1 on: Monday 30 October 17 13:54 GMT (UK) »
Surely one of the six children knows the story?  8)
AREA, Nottinghamshire. Lincolnshire. Staffordshire. Leicestershire, Morayshire.
Paternal Line--An(t)(c)liff(e).Faulkner. Mayfield. Cant. Davison. Caunt. Trigg. Rawding. Buttery. Rayworth. Pepper. Otter. Whitworth. Gray. Calder. Laing.Wink. Wright. Jackson. Taylor.
Maternal Line--Linsey. Spicer. Corns. Judson. Greensmith. Steel. Woodford. Ellis. Wyan. Callis. Warriner. Rawlin. Merrin. Vale. Summerfield. Cartwright.
Husbands-Beckett. Heald. Pilkington. Arnold. Hall. Willows. Dring. Newcomb. Hawley

Offline gralorn

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Re: Pen Pal for POW
« Reply #2 on: Monday 30 October 17 15:36 GMT (UK) »
Not in communication with five of them and trying to research the early life of my uncle for the dixth! Hence the enquiry and request for advice on how to find out.
Allard/Allwood/Alwood/ From Suffolk
Wright/Croftwright/ From London
Langmaid/ from Lanteglos By Fowey
Greig/ Banff/ Aberdeen

Offline chempat

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Re: Pen Pal for POW
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 05 November 17 08:23 GMT (UK) »
This is from a google search, showing someone writing to a son of an acquaintance:
(scroll down to PENPALS)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/95/a7159395.shtml

This shows correspondence of 'enemies'

https://rebeccanolen.com/2012/10/04/my-mothers-wwii-correspondence/

POW hoping that Belfast can help:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/23/a9007823.shtml

Met briefly:
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/wwii-pow-remembers-horrors-kindnesses-of-war/article_e94611cd-a9cf-5ebe-bd35-7da6b528138e.html

Not yet found a general explanation/confirmation of correspondence.



Offline a-l

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Re: Pen Pal for POW
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 05 November 17 08:26 GMT (UK) »
This is a guess  but I think the church could have been involved with this.