This letter is from my Dad, John Sparkes, to his older brother Bill. John was in the Royal Marines aboard HMS Newcastle, while Bill was working at GEC in Coventry. Bill was also a volunteer with the GEC works fire brigade and had been dealing with the aftermath of air raids in Coventry.
Frustratingly, it looks as though John missed off the month in the letter. It may have been written on Saturday October 26th 1940, in just under three weeks an enormous air raid would devastate Coventry.
Bill’s wife Edie, and son Ken, had left Coventry to live in Honeybourne in Worcestershire. This was fortuitous as their house in Banks Road was badly damaged in the air raid of November 14/15 1940.
The letter was saved by my cousin Rita, who is Bill’s granddaughter. Although Rita and I lived in the same city as children, we didn’t know about each other. It was only through a family history website we discovered each other. Rita had saved many family documents, including this letter, for which I am very grateful.
The additional photo is a photo of BIll in the GEC works fire brigade. Bill is on the back row, third one from the left.
