I have been sharing the story of my husband's grandparents, Joe and Sarah, with a lot of references to Sarah's postcard album, through which I have traced the story of the early days of their romance and marriage. I thought that sharing some of the wonderfully romantic cards that Joe sent to Sarah would be an ideal blog for Valentine's Day!
As we've seen, Joe sent 100s of postcards to his wife over the years, as he knew Sarah collected them. I have a wonderful album of 200 of them. Here are just a few that I've chosen, to demonstrate his deep love and affection for her. I've set them against the timeline of their lives at that time.
Joe enlisted on 19th January 1915, in the King's Liverpool Regiment. Here is a postcard he sent on 2st May 1915, from his posting on the home front, in Blackpool
Joe simply echoed the message
"With love to my dear girl"
The next card is dated 4th June 1916, this time from Oswestry, another home front posting. Joe was to escape the carnage of the Somme on 1st July 1916. Sarah and Joe married on 20th July 1915, so he was now writing to his dear wife.
With fondest love from your affectionate husband.
On the 17th March 1917, Joe was finally in France, where he sent this postcard from. He had left for the Front on 15th September 1916. Six months later he was seriously injured and lay critically ill for and in hospital in Chester for many months.
To Sarah, with the very truest and fondest of love
from your devoted hubby
xxxxxxxxx
It is now 11th April 1918 and Joe is finally back home and out of hospital, where he spent several months recurperating. He is in Manchester - not too far from his family in Liverpool. In fact Sarah was with him in January of that year (she sent a postcard from there to her family). However she must have returned by April, as Joe sent her this card...He seems concerned about her health, which he does mention a few times in his cards.
My darling Sarah
Hope this card finds you feeling very much better
Take care of yourself and keep your heart up.
With the fondest of love
I remain, yours, ever
Joe xxxxxxx
This card is dated 13th April, just two days after the previous one he sent! He is at Heaton Park, where he was stationed when he joined the Military Foot Police in May. He has just been presented with the Military Medal which
he was awarded for gallantry in the battle where he received "serious"
wounds.
My own darling,
Just a little card to remind you of the great love I have for you.
Hope you are making good progress.
With Fondest Love
I remain, you ever
Joe xxxxxxx
My final postcard for Valentine's Day is dated 15th November 1918. It was to be one of the last postcards he sent her from his service in the army - he was demobbed in February 1919. They would never be parted again.
Their story will take them to the US (and back!) and they had a very happy married life - which I will explore in the future. They had a son and a daughter. Here are two lovely photos - one taken in c1926, in Liverpool and one taken on their US adventure just a few years later!
Joe Vernon Smith and Sarah Banks Rich - a love match that like millions, endured the pain and sacrifce of war, but who so very happily came through it to become a devoted couple and parents.
New readers of the blog can read about their earlier life and their family in my previous posts.
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