joda wrote:
My grandad Hartley Stuttard was survivor and I have a copy of the letter he sent home to his wife. It is not written in his hand but has been rewritten by someone we presume in the press bureau where letters were censored. The original letter was kept and I would love to see it but would not know where to start my search. He mentions not having seen Harrison Wilkinson who was his brother in law and who perished. If anyone would be interested I can scan the letter
joda wrote:
Does anyone know how or if one can get hold of the original letters. My grandmother was told that grandads letter had been censored and rewritten but that the original had been kept for records.
Joda, as I understand it, the letter sent by Hartley to his wife was not in his hand?
One possibility is that he was too shaken to write himself & had a friend or the Chaplain write it for him.
Or he may have been more injured than he wished to tell her.
There is a letter from the ship's Doctor in the National Archives, but I feel this was an account written at the request of the authorities.
i think the Censor would have crossed out sensitive information, & let the letter through. Other men sent similar letters home.
Kath.