At just 23 years old Private Arthur Bailes went to the Western Front to aid
the war effort; his only communication with his sweetheart was through
postcards. He sent about 100 of these to Maud Heywood, who he would later marry while on leave.
They
have been unearthed by their daughter Julia Bailes, of Harold Wood, and
are being displayed in ?Upminster Tithe Barn, in Hall Lane. The poignant missives ?reveal an insight into relationships during the First World War. Arthur
lived in Brentwood and signed up to the Army in 1914 leaving Maud, from
Havering, behind working as a chambermaid in the mansion in Belhus
Park, Aveley, which was destroyed after the war partly due to the
severe bomb damage.
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