Oliver Spalding's letters overflow with love and tenderness for the wife to whom he is writing. He is an "ordinary" soldier in the Second World War communicating his most personal thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears during the five years of separation from his loved ones. He writes with poetic piquancy and demonstrates a tender flare for detailed insight and observation. With wry humour and down-to-earth humanity, he shares moments with his wife such as daily chores and the heart-stopping moments of an enemy plane before it is shot down. Letters from the loneliness of a tent in the Egyptian desert, penned by the light of a candle, record each sight and sound for his "Darling" Girl back home. This is a delightful collection, full of vivid images and emotions, which charmed Radio Four listeners several years ago and is sure to move the reader today.
