My First Book
My mother went to London in June 1946 soon after WWII was over. She met Josephine from Manchester at Highgate Youth hostel while washing up. Their friendship developed into a lifelong relationship. My mother kept all Josey’s letters and later this year one of her sons and my husband and I will publish a book on this collection of letters. A few drafts of my mother’s letters are saved so to tell our story, I will add the Danish background to compliment the book. I have a twin brother.
When we were four years old, we surprisingly got birthday presents from Josey in England. I was so thrilled. I remember the feeling of getting a non-expected gift.
There is a book for each of you in the post
Josey’s letter January 1955
I couldn’t understand how the mice could misbehave so badly. Why did they destroy the dolls’ food? The sight of the destruction nearly gave me a tummy ache.
Torben’s book was about a cat who tried to trick the mouse. The picture with her and the dust cloth wrapped around her face and later plays ball with the mouse is something I will never forget.
The books have disappeared, but I have since bought all of Beatrix Potter’s children books and even visited her house in The Lake District. The Lake District was spoken about a lot in Josey’s letters. That made it very special for me to go to the Lakes.
We got other things too for our birthdays like toys to build into something or word puzzles. They could be hard to use as we have three more letters in our Danish language than in the English. I read in a letter from my mother Ruth that we also got fountain pens. She said in the letter that we were very happy for them. Unfortunately, I can’t remember anything about it.
At Christmas, we sometimes got small decorations. I loved the candles with angels resting on moons and regretted that I had one burnt.
Christmas decorations from Josey in the 1950s
When I was eleven years old, I got two pairs of tights in Scottish check. Tights were not yet standard in Denmark, and I was so proud. I had a hard time to put them on as I had grown more than Josey expected.
When I got my four children, Josey sent presents as soon as they were born. Josey was my “English mother.”
Our mothers wrote letters from July 1946 until my mother died in 2008. Josey died six months later.
Categories: Family history
From one Heart to Another 
What a beautiful friendship Maria and a a terrific idea for a book. Congratulations.
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Thank you so much. I am so glad that my mother and Josey’s faithfulness will be remembered. They both endured a lot without ever complaining
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Isn’t it wonderful how an act of kindness can stick in a child’s memory so that the adult can smile when recalling it!!
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All these small memories from childhood help us to remember to be kind. It’s like seed of goodness being activated years after
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Oh Maria. When I started reading your post the tear fell from my eyes, not with sadness, for I am not a sad person, but with wonder and the love that can come from such a letter.
There was much that is bad that was the War. But from all that was bad there was some real wonder and beauty for it made friends of many who never knew each other before.
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I am so thrilled that you are live here on my post paolsoren and that I touched your heart. Josey was a person who hid her feelings deep inside. A few years before her death, I surprised her with a visit, and she said: ”oh, come in.” What’s exciting about her letters is that you can read between the lines to unlock
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Maria, I have still tears in my eyes. I know how the Danes were treated during the war. But always cream rises to the top.
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The Germans occupied us, and our government led us down by not having an up to date military and not wanting the military we had to resist. Only because of our resistance movement it can be justified that we should be recognised among the allied. Also, many seamen stayed away from Denmark during the war and served the Allied forces
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I have just read a book about Anders Laarsen. A great hero of the war.
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I am so glad you found him. He got the Victoria Cross posthumously and died only weeks before the war ended
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Yes!. The only member of the SAS to get the Victoria Cross and the only Non-British Commonwealth person to ever be given that medal.
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And he was 24 years old when he died
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If you ever want to be a tourist in Denmark, we would love to show you his bust at Langelinje, one of my favourite places in Copenhagen and other things too of course
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inspiraTION !
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