Letters to Loved Ones

In partnership with Imperial War Museums, Letters to Loved Ones invites you to get involved, by sharing historical letters from your VE and VJ Day generation relatives.

Were your relatives part of the VE and VJ Day generation? If so we’d love to hear from you!

During the Second World War, letter writing helped to ease the pain of separation between soldiers and other displaced people, and their loved ones.

Receiving letters from family and friends was also vital for morale, keeping men and women connected to the homes they had left behind. Letters written to family and friends are today a fascinating source of information about everyday life in wartime Britain.

Do you have letters or postcards sent by your family members during the Second World War to their loved ones? This could include soldiers on the front line; men, women and children on the home front; or relatives who contributed to Britain’s war effort from Britain and Commonwealth countries.

In partnership with Imperial War Museums, we’re asking young people and families across the UK to share the stories they find here on our Letters to Loved Ones gallery.

You can also share and discover your VE and VJ Day family connections of the people commemorated by CWGC via the Commonwealth War Graves’ Stories portal.

Share your Letter to Loved Ones

'It's a mix of lovely affection and the real experience of the Second World War'

As we mark #VEDay80 Minister Steph Peacock shares her family story, remembering her Grandad and all those he served alongside

A note on language

The items published here have been contributed by members of the public and have not been edited by DCMS or Imperial War Museums except to obscure personal data potentially still sensitive today. The letters contain language and assumptions that represent the views and attitudes of the time, some of which may be considered outdated, prejudiced or discriminatory today.