大象传媒

In July 2004 my paternal grandfather died. The following month my parents and aunt and uncle sorted through the many, many items which had been kept, treasured, probably in many cases forgotten, in his small terraced house in Burnley.

My grandparents had moved to Burnley from Liverpool in the early 1960's. But they always retained fond memories of Liverpool, where they were both born, and their families remained.

The two letters I have chosen to archive were written from Liverpool. The first, amazingly, from my grandmother to my grandfather (who appears to have been already enlisted) written 2 days after the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939.

The second is undated, but is an account of harrowing bombing raids upon Liverpool. The letter is to my grandparents from my grandmother's mother. They were now both living in Forres, Scotland, where my grandfather was based as an aircraft fitter. Most poignantly, the letter concludes with instructions as to the whereabouts of key documents were the writer or other family members to be killed in a raid.