Through the last letters they wrote and received, and through interviews, this book brings together memories, good and bad, and captures the spirit of the lives of soldiers and civilians, young and old, the ordinary person and the famous alike during World War II. The book features the everyday stories of lives transformed by separation, bombing, internment and the horror of battle. The letters kept hope alive, speaking of love, loyalty, loneliness and courage. They were often the last link between a mother, a lover, a wife or a child and the person who died before their delivery. The poignancy, the pointlessness and the arbitrary waste of life are contained here. The letters also reveal the quiet courage and strong emotions which enabled people to endure - and which has coloured their lives ever since.