Why Edna Wrote Teddy and Minnie, 1943

My aunt Dorothy Schwartz (1919-2001) was in the Women's Army Corps during World War II. She served in the WAC detachment of the US 9th Air Force in England, France, and Belgium from spring, 1943 until summer, 1945. 

It was the first time New York City-born Dorothy had been overseas. The pressure of wartime duties also weighed on her, I know from letters home. But my aunt was dedicated and determined to serve. 

How Dorothy met Edna

In the summer of 1943, walking in the countryside of Shropshire, England with two WAC buddies, Dorothy came upon Mrs. Edna Griffiths walking her dog. Edna, a friendly widow, struck up a conversation. 

She asked Dorothy and her companions to join her and have a drink at Edna's father's home. Later, Edna asked permission to write Dorothy's parents, my grandparents Theodore "Teddy" Schwartz and Hermina "Minnie" Farkas Schwartz. 

Edna's letter to Dorothy's parents

Edna, a kind and thoughtful mother of five, realized how Dorothy's parents must worry about her--and decided to write a note of reassurance. In part, Edna's letter to my grandparents read:

I have had the very great pleasure of meeting your daughter Dorothy and I thought I would like to write and tell you how we enjoyed seeing her. Ours was the first English home she had been to and that makes me very thrilled.

I was taking my little Scottie dog for a walk and met Dorothy and her two friends. I was so anxious to meet them and we finished the evening at my father's home. I really think they enjoyed themselves and they were most interested in all we had to tell them. Since that evening we have met so many of your country women. How we do admire them! We all "fell" for them...

I am sure you all miss Dorothy but she will be happy with the English people, we're to make them feel at home but of course we are not so easy to know, that's what I think. I think we are all beginning to feel the strain of this terrible war... 

 I hope if Dorothy is ever short of a house during her leaves I hope she will come to us. My home is always hers while she is in England. She is really  a beautiful girl and I am sure you are both proud of her.

My best wishes to you both and may we soon see the end of this awful war. Yours very sincerely, Edna S. Griffiths

What happened next

I only have letters from Edna to my family, not letters from my family to Edna. But reading those letters, I can see that the correspondence went on for about two years. 

When Dorothy was moved to France and Belgium, she continued to write Edna and send gifts, such as silk stockings that were just about unavailable in wartime England. 

My grandparents were busy working in the small dairy store they owned in the Bronx, and so my mother Daisy--Dorothy's twin sister--quickly took over the correspondence with Edna. 

Edna's letters reveal thoughts and feelings about where she lived, coping as a widow, pride in her children, and hope as her country joined with the Allies and battled the Axis powers. The letters also show real interest in Dorothy and Daisy and family, and Edna's wish to visit New York City after the war. 

After consulting with a distant cousin of Edna's family, I am offering these handwritten letters to a museum in England. I want to preserve the letters for the sake of future generations and researchers interested in the inner thoughts of those on the British home front during World War II.

"We Were There Too"

Interested in the “Great War” experience of Jewish people in Britain? Let me suggest a virtual visit to “British Jews in the First World War: We Were There Too.” 

This multidisciplinary project is an ongoing educational collaboration between multiple British institutions and the Jewish community, weaving together personal stories, historical background, evocative images, and archival resources that reveal the war’s impact on Jewish people in the military and at home. Participating institutions include the Jewish Museum London, the Imperial War Museum, Manchester Central Archives, and the Liverpool Central Archives, among many others.

Solomon Ash diaries and photos

I first heard about “We Were There Too” from my cousin in Manchester, who lent a digitized copy of a diary kept by her grandfather, Solomon Ash (1899-1955).

Company Quartermaster Sgt. Ash served with the Royal Fusiliers 39th Battalion, and he jotted notes as his unit journeyed home from Palestine more than a year after the war ended. My cousin also submitted photos taken by Ash, along with details about his life before and after World War I. The 1920 diary, scanned and transcribed, can be viewed on the Solomon Ash Diary page (excerpt at top).

In all, the "We Were There Too" database includes more than 50,000 Jewish men and women in Britain who were part of the war effort. Project coordinators created a record page for each individual, then appended supporting documents such as Census and military records (sourced from Find My Past, Forces War Records, and Ancestry).

Search and Navigate 

Free to all, the site is an ever-expanding gateway to diverse collections relevant to the Jewish experience in early 20th century wartime Britain. 

Browse the home page for collection highlights and an illustrated timeline of key dates in the period, from Britain declaring war on Germany in 1914 to Armistice Day in 1918. 

Also:

• To search for individuals, use the Personal Record tab at the top of the home page. Advanced search allows variables beyond name, such as region, gender, place of burial, military rank, and awards. At right, part of the personal record page of Solomon Ash, with family history and photos and other details.
• The Discover tab leads to fascinating historical vignettes about Jewish nurses, immigration from Russia, Jewish recipients of the Victoria Cross, and much more. These pieces, often with research notes and links, provide background on various aspects of the war that affected Jewish people in Britain.
• For added social and historical context, use the Collections tab to access a wide array of digitized materials, from stereoscopic images and wartime letters to period maps and old school photos.

I highly recommend “We Were There Too” for fresh, first-hand perspectives into the military and home front experiences of Jewish men and women in Britain during World War I.