1939-1945 World War II

Once War had been declared, it became more difficult to keep in touch for those who had left Germany with their friends and family they had left behind. Soon the only way of communicating with those in Germany was via Red Cross Messages. These were restricted to 25 words per message and they usually took at least 2-4 weeks from the UK to Germany, often longer.

• Waclaw Piotrowski writes to his mother from Auschwitz