Wartime letters bring history to life in Dear Mr Snippet

Found by their granddaughter, Roseanna Rolph, who began to painstakingly piece together their unique time capsule of a story spanning the entirety of WWII including The Blitz, the British Expeditionary Forces aid in the defence of France in 1940 and the subsequent evacuation of British forces at Dunkirk, and the Battle of Normandy in 1945.

What would you do if you had the chance to travel back in time to get to know dearly loved older relatives in their younger years? This was the opportunity that Roseanna Rolph discovered whilst clearing her late mother’s study and stumbled upon her grandmother Rita’s treasure box where she found in amongst diaries and photographs, a stack of letters in her grandfather John Reed’s handwriting, the dates revealing some of the Second World War years.

Having previously been given her grandmother’s letters from the same period she wondered... if ordered and dovetailed, could these letters speak to one another? Would they reveal a conversation over those years? What stories would unfold, and what snippets of her grandparents, Rita and John’s daily lives could be revealed?

Roseanna said: “This was truly a magical moment. I had no idea of the precious and wonderful paper trail that my dear mum had left to me until I began piecing together this unique story. Having had a very close relationship with my grandparents, I knew how proud they were of their close relationship and that they wouldn’t mind their story being shared.” This was how the story Dear Mr Snippet was born.

After marrying on September 6, 1939, Rita returned home and stayed with her mother in Barnes, London, whilst John completed officer commission training with the Honourable Artillery Company at Waterloo Barracks, Aldershot, subsequently being transferred to the 63rd Medium Regiment with the Royal Artillery Company.

Rita wrote to John as often as she could, often addressing him as ‘My dearest Mr Snippet’ as he would often include snippets of information about the army and how the war was progressing from a military perspective in his letters. He led a troop as part of the British Expeditionary Force in the spring of 1940 taking part in the mass evacuation at Dunkirk and then entering a second theatre of war as part of the 8th AGRA in the summer of 1944, landing on Gold Beach and participating in the North-West Europe campaign and Battle of Normandy.

Whilst recovering from his wounds in the summer of 1944 John was in Whiston County Hospital, Liverpool during which he described as a “dismal place and very slow” and where the “food is shocking – we have potato sludge twice a day and are told that this is what the locals have to put up with - and there is no attention”. Following an inspection from the Ministry of Health it is discovered that the patients are not getting their share of rations. The next day John records in his diary, “Cooking improving” and a day later, “Rations are better and we get meat now, also some pudding”.

Roseanna said: “Having pieced together John’s story I am infinitely proud of the part he played alongside those of his comrades. John always showed humility and immeasurable respect towards all those involved. Now I have a greater understanding of John’s experiences I hope that bringing this story to life acknowledges the part he and so many others played.”

Rita would stay near to where John was stationed when she could but otherwise their main way of communication was through the exchanging of their letters. In one letter Rita wrote, ‘I’m glad I shall be free to come down to you for the weekends you are on duty, darling. It would be a crime if we couldn’t have our Saturday night together! You tell the major that your wife wants you more than the army ever possibly could.’

Passionately in love and hilariously witty in their banter with one another, John and Rita’s letters, some of which will be on display in a special VE Day exhibit at The Postal Museum, London, from April 29, offer a unique wartime conversation that bridges military and civilian worlds, and transports readers back to another time via an un-replicated authentic perspective.

The impact of war on children becomes an increasingly important focus as the story progresses, with John and Rita’s two young children struggling with absent parents and separation, housing difficulties, ill-health, and constant uncertainty, to name but a few. This focus, combined with her own childhood experiences with parental absence, led Roseanna to contact Little Troopers, a charity supporting all military children who have parents currently serving in the British Armed Forces. The charity is delighted to be collaborating on this project, using Dear Mr Snippet to help raise awareness of its incredible work.

With the perfect blend of humour, romance and tragedy, Dear Mr Snippet is impossible to put down, drawing readers in with John and Rita’s engaging, chatty writing styles and open, honest conversations. Forming a complete WWII time capsule this book is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about this period of history in an accessible way; gain insight into the realities of being a military partner or child, and fans of World War Two fiction and non-fiction alike.

Roseanna said: “These are the experiences of real people; set amongst world-shaking events. Forging their way through unpredictable times, and at points living with a constant pressure that each tiny everyday decision might have a life-or-death consequence. I have felt humbled and honoured by the extraordinary opportunity I have been afforded to tell Rita and John’s story and have done so to value and ensure that narratives such as these are not forgotten.

"I dearly hope readers enjoy the snippets of their story and, like me, discover something new about the idiosyncrasies of living as a civilian or serving in the military through World War II.”

Published by Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, Dear Mr Snippet (ISBN: 9781803782751) will be released on April 15 and is available in paperback, eBook and audio formats. It is available to pre-order now from Waterstones, Amazon, WHSmith and all other major retailers.

To find out more about Little Troopers’ incredible work, visit their website at www.littletroopers.net.

To see John and Rita’s letters for yourself, visit The London Postal Museum’s VE Day exhibit, which will run from April 29 at The Postal Museum, 15-20 Phoneix Place, London WC1X 0DA.

To follow Roseanna’s story and for more updates on Dear Mr Snippet, visit her website at www.roseannarolph.com, or follow her on Instagram at @author.roseannarolph or Facebook at Roseanna Rolph.