01/09/2026
On World Letter Writing Day, we're celebrating the power of handwritten notes. ✍️📝
At the RAF Oulton Museum, visitors can read original letters sent home by aircrew stationed here during the Second World War. Among them are letters from Warrant Officer Maurice Charles White to his wife, Doreen, discovered in 2004 after her passing. These personal and deeply moving notes capture the realities of wartime separation from his wide and their two sons, offering a poignant glimpse into the love, hope and longing that sustained families through the conflict.
One says: “Well old dearest it’s only 25 days now before I see you again darling, won’t that be grand sweetheart”. In another, returning from leave, he speaks of his children with tender affection. “Give them a kiss for me dearest. By the way, sweet, did they miss me at all? I think Jeff did a little as he didn’t want me to go away.”
More than 80 years later, his words remain a powerful reminder of the enduring value of putting pen to paper. Inspired? Why not sit down and write a letter or card to someone in your thoughts today.
The RAF Oulton Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am – 3pm.
