A woman's faith in happily-ever-afters has been restored after she unearthed a 'touching' yet 'saucy' letter from a World War One soldier.
Chelsey Brown is a collector of old documents and letters, regularly searching flea markets and antique stores in search of them in the hopes of returning the items to the descendants of those who wrote them.
Recently, a discovery gave her more than she bargained for, as it uncovered a star-crossed loved story between a couple separated by the horrors of war.
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The letter in question was written by William, a soldier serving in World War One, and sent to his lover, Lily. After picking it up from a vendor in Texas, Chelsey said she was initially attracted to the beautiful calligraphy with which William wrote, saying she'd 'never seen anything like it before'.
But she quickly realised the the contents of the letter were equally unique, saying 'these two people were obviously very in love with each other and missed each other greatly. It was also a bit saucy for the time which is something I always love when I pick up letters like this'.
'The fairest of all my heart aches with our following joy and pleasure when I think of being with you again, but alas fate surely must be against me still there couldn’t be anything like trying,' William writes to his 'dearest Lilian'.
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While reading the letter, Chelsey was immediately entranced, telling Jam Press, 'I felt like I was in a movie reading this letter! I couldn’t believe it was real.'
Yet despite William's clear love for Lily, there was clearly some tension, with the soldier having had many of his previous letters go unanswered.
'What’s the matter with that mailman doesn’t he deliver my mail Lily and it certainly couldn’t be that I didn’t write for I’ve written every week and then some. I think you’re just trying me now ain’t you,' he tells her. 'Now be a sweet girl and answer real soon for I’m crazy to hear from you.'
Desperate to know whether the pair made things work after the war, Chelsey dove into her research, and was amazed by the results.
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According to census records, William survived the war, receiving an honourable discharge in 1918, and by the time of the 1930 census, the pair were married.
'Unfortunately, there are times where I find love letters and the sweethearts never ended up together. This happens more often than not,' Chelsey said.
'These happy-ending stories are what I strive to find and share with the world to show that no matter how dark and evil this world gets, it’s worth fighting for that bit of light and kindness.'
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Hannah Smith