Feature Letter of February 11th, 2026
Ellis, John Walter
Now darling you know all letters are censored over there & so be careful what you say to me or I may never get your letters & that would be terrible for me. I have not had one from you since Thursday & I do hope I'll get one before I go. Now darling I have a code figured out so that I can give you a lot of news without being censored. Daddy & I figured it out & I'll try & explain it to you. The code works on my number 675928. You start reading my letter & you take the 6th word (not including "My Own Darling Kitty") now from that you take the first letter. Then from the 6th word you'll count 7, the take the first letter of that word. then from that count 5 words & take the first letter again & so on till you have the whole number then start over again all through the letter. Now if you see one kiss only at the end of the letter look for something & pick out the letters as I explained, if I put 2 kisses instead of taking the letter take the whole word. Of course dearest you'll need to put the letters on paper & make sense of them afterwards Now I won't have something private to tell you everytime, but I can tell you where I am & what I've been doing so you wont worry. So if I don't put any kisses on the end or if I put a whole lot you'll know there is nothing to hunt for. Do you understand me dearest? Don' t say anything about it when you answer. If you can't make out my message just say that your ear aches is very bad again & if you get it O.K. say your ear ache is well again.
Why Support Canadian Letters & Images Project
As we move away in time from past conflicts and as our veteran population declines, it becomes increasingly difficult for Canadians to understand the sacrifices that men and women made, both on the battlefield and on the home front, during wartime. The Canadian Letters and Images Project has been sharing their stories, and Canada’s story, for the past quarter century.
These are the experiences of Canadians as seen through their eyes and their words. This is history in the raw, without a lens of interpretation added through time. I invite you to spend some time reading their letters, seeing their faces in the photographs, or listening to an audio letter, to appreciate why their experiences must be preserved for now and for future generations.
Donations, large and small, ensures that The Canadian Letters and Images Project can keep this important content freely available for this generation and for future generations. Please help us to preserve their stories.
Donate
