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You are here: Home>Herts history>Topics>World War Two>Wartime letters

Wartime letters

The letters of Olive Lewis and Leslie Couzens: 1939 to 1945

A Hertfordshire couple, Olive and Leslie Couzens, wrote to each other daily throughout the Second World War. Olive was 18 at the outbreak of war, and was just starting her teacher training at Portsmouth College. Leslie was in the London Rifle Brigade, and went over with the 11th Armoured Division to France in June 1944. They married in 1942, and their first daughter was born in October 1944. They moved from North London to Potters Bar after the war, where they spent the rest of their married life.

Their letters are now with the Imperial War Museum in London, and describe life from both aspects – home life and military life. They describe their everyday activities, emotions, frustrations, high and low points, the dangers, and generally how they coped with their situations. We have included extracts from Olive’s letters while she was at college, and Leslie’s account from landing in France, and his progress through to Germany.

Olive's letters are read by her great granddaughter Laura Clarke and Leslie's are read by Nick Blatchley, a Herts Memories volunteer.

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    Olive Lewis writing from Cambridge, 17 January-16 May 1940
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    Olive Lewis writing from Cambridge, 2 June-22 August 1940
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    Olive Lewis writing from Portsmouth, 8 October-November 1940
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    Olive Lewis writing from college and home, 7 January 1941-19 January 1942
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    A personal account from the front line by Leslie Couzens, 6th June-3rd July 1944
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    A personal account by Leslie Couzens 24 July-30 August 1944
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    A personal account from the front line by Leslie Couzens, 1st September-13th October 1944
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    Treating German wounded
    A personal account from the front line by Leslie Couzens, 18-29th October 1944
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    A personal account from the front line by Leslie Couzens, 4th-26th November 1944
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