In 2011, 6 years after my father died, I discovered 260 letters in the attic he had written to his parents during WWII. They had been in the dark for 70 years but were in excellent condition.
He came as a 13-year-old from Czechoslovakia and was sent to boarding school.
When he was 18, he joined the Czech division of the RAF and was stationed in the Bahamas when the war ended.
The letter is dated 8 May 1945 – ‘End of World War II’:
“Dear parents, the time 8.15, the day – V.E. Day and the place the services club. Below me singing in progress, outside singing, everywhere happiness. Pity it is, in so many cases, a drunken happiness. I am thinking of you all in England. I bet London is full of flag! Is there a Czech one fluttering from our windows? Pity not all of us can be together this day, still we will be soon. Meanwhile I could very well imagine you by the wireless while the King spoke. […] when I awoke the first thing I heard was the distant looming of Mr Churchill’s speech. I bumped into Maxine who took me to dinner with friends of hers. Very charming people, there dinner was concluded with champagne. For the first time I had any. There was lots of talking of course. Then the King’s speech at three and another dip into the sea. Feeling no urge to get drunk (that’s most probably because I don’t know what it’s like) I left them all and headed here for a read and a meal. In a while I’ll go to the pictures to finish V.E. day. Funny, all of us, I mean the crew, feel terribly out of it all. We just can’t celebrate like all these English by just getting drunk. Through the window I see they are letting some rockets go. Reminds me of Opava and the skating rink. That was quite an occasion for us then. I wonder what the future has in store for us?? I do hope you had a really grand victory celebration. You Mother and Father have done as much as anybody in winning this war, we young ones haven’t really felt it all much. See you in five weeks, Love H”
