Dearest Phyl: Letters of Love and War 1940 - 45

by Roy Barton, Graham Barton (Editor)

Roy Barton wrote over 250 love letters to his young wife Phyllis during the Second World War and they record his time of military service in British army Basic Training in the Royal Signals in Yorkshire in 1940 and then, from July 1944 until October 1945, during the campaign in Europe to defeat Nazism. Roy was extremely well read and his writing is fluid in style, often beautifully descriptive, and great on detail. With one eye on the censor, Roy records the sights of war-torn Europe. The crossing of the Channel to the Normandy beaches; bombed convoys of German troops; the French refugees on the road; the poverty of Belgian peasants; leave in Brussels and Paris; the bombed German cities; then the gossip from the mess; pregnant girlfriends, the price of alcohol, the blackmarket, Belgian neighbours.Much devoted to his young wife and with little in the way of other evening entertainment or distractions, Roy wrote letters almost daily to Phyl keeping their romance and love alive. Roy was immensely proud of his wartime service in the secretive ‘Phantom’ regiment of the Royal Signals. Phantom Royal Signals patrols were a direct communication link between front line troops and Montgomery’s HQ to pinpoint the exact locations of the Allied front line and the German positions. This greatly aided Montgomery’s strategic planning not just day by day but hour by hour. Roy’s letters from July 1944 to October 1945, which collectively form a diary of the last year of the war, can be seen as a tribute to those men and women who shared the experiences of conscription and invasion and who, if they did not give up their lives -nevertheless gave up years of their lives in the service of their country.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2019