Sailor's love letters in hands of relative

Almost two dozen letters dating back to between 1916 and 1922, sent by Royal Navy sailor Jack Southall to his wife in Walsall about his life at sea, were found by great grandmother Joyce Onions when she went to view a house in Bentley Lane, Walsall, in 1978.

Several photographs were also found with the letters, that had been scattered around a bonfire in the garden of the property, and it prompted Mrs Onions to appeal in the Express & Star for relatives of the sailor to come forward.

Grandfather-of-four Peter Pritchard was surprised when he recognised a couple in one of the pictures that had been printed to be his late parents, Frank and Betty Pritchard, who were married at St Paul's Church, Walsall, around 1930.

The 79-year-old, of Silver Birch Coppice, Sutton Coldfield, said his great uncle Tom Stokes had lived at the Bentley Lane address with his wife Lily until they both died in the late 1960s.

He said Mrs Stokes' sister Annie, who was Mr Southall's wife, had come to live with the pair after her husband drowned at sea.

It is not known where she had moved from, but it is thought she moved address again after Mr and Mrs Stokes died. "My ex-wife mentioned she had seen the story in the newspaper," Mr Pritchard said.

"I think it is incredible they had been found in a bonfire in 1978 and kept all this time. It's amazing.

"I know my great uncle Tom lived at the house and the photos and letters must have been kept by the people who bought the house after he died and Joyce spotted them around the bonfire and rescued them. I knew Jack's wife, Annie, when I was young.

"She was Tom's wife's sister and came to live with them after he drowned. She told me he had drowned at sea but she never used to talk about it. That was one of the strange things.

"I don't know how old he would have been or where it happened."

He said he thought the picture of his parent's on their wedding day would have belonged to his great uncle but believes the picture of the sailor would have been Mr Southall.

Mr Pritchard, who grew up living in Reedswood Lane, Walsall, said: "Annie's husband was called Jack Southall. He was a sailor who died at sea.

"This set of photos was found in the same house she lived in. "Letter's penned by Mr Southall about his life at sea during the First World War and beyond had described how he explored cathedrals, caves and the masterpieces of Michelangelo as his voyage took him from country to country.

He started many letters with 'My own darling wife' and signed off with the words 'your own darling and ever loving hubby, Jack', and in some he lovingly tells his other half of the presents he has picked up for her on his travels.

Mrs Onions, aged 69, of Bradshaw Avenue, Darlaston, who had kept the letters in a drawer for decades, said: "I'm absolutely ecstatic that someone has come forward.

"It's more important now that these stories are passed down. They could be kept for hundreds of years.

"I'm over the moon they will be cared for and lessons may be learned from his writings.

"Nobody seems to write letters like that any more. I think it's lovely and i'm very happy for Peter."