Wartime Correspondence

Connie Cocker, a friend of my great, great aunt's, was born in Derby in 1895. When one of her distant relatives, Reg, was called up in 1917 they wrote to one another regularly. Reg enjoyed corresponding with Connie, but unfortunately, due to the censoring of post from soldiers (as can be seen on the postcard) it was difficult for him to communicate much. However, he looked forward to getting letters from her. Whilst he was away Connie got engaged to another young man, Stanley Cholerton, who was not called up due to being in a reserved occupation (he was a blacksmith) and they were married in 1918, whilst Reg was still away at the front. Sadly Connie died from complications in childbirth in 1922 at the age of only 27. However, Reg never married and returned to Derby, where he lived until his death in 1972 at the age of 81.