The owners of a Keswick vintage shop have helped reunite the family of a World War One soldier with touching postcards he wrote to his sweetheart back home.
The cards were written in the trenches by Private Alf Rodenbury at the height of the conflict and addressed to Hannah Walker, who lived in Sunderland. In now-faded ink, the messages include: “Good night sweetheart and God be with you. Till we meet again. I am singing it now for you and me”.
Vic and Karin Gibson bought the postcards at an antiques fair with the intention of selling them at their shop, Vintage at Maysons, on Lake Road.
But when they read the messages, the couple resolved to try and track down Alf and Hannah’s surviving family.
“They really struck a chord with us, and we began to suspect there might be a really touching story behind it all,” explained Vic. “Rather than sell the cards, we decided that it would be great if we could find any descendants of either Alf or Hannah and pass them on.”
Vic contacted the Sunderland Echo, and just a few days after they ran the story the newspaper was contacted by relatives of Alf, who now live in the south of England.
“It seems that Alf survived the war, returned to Hannah, and the couple later moved down to Berkshire,” he said.
“They were married for more than 50 years and had five children together.
“I spoke to Alf’s 71-year-old grand-daughter, who was amazed and delighted that the postcards had survived more than 100 years after they were written. We’re now in the process of returning them to where they belong.
“She also told me a crucifix in Alf’s backpack stopped a German bullet and saved his life – and he later became a Methodist lay preacher because of this.”
Another of Alf’s heartfelt messages reads: “To my loving sweetheart in Blighty. From the one she loves.” And: “Dear heart. Don’t worry about me because I will be in the pink.
“Only hope for the best and God spare us to get home again.”
As well as the cards, the memorabilia also included embroidered messages with the words “All Kind Thoughts”, “To My Dear Sweetheart” and “Far From You But Thinking Of You”.
