Love letter returns to sender...after 57 years
A WIDOW has been reunited with a 57-year-old love letter she sent to her husband before they were married when he was overseas.
The touching note was sent to Colin Dubberley by his then 19-yearold girlfriend Maureen Staten who pined for him while he was on National Service thousands of miles away in the Caribbean.
Lance Corporal Dubberley, of the Worcestershire Regiment, read the letter and put it into the pocket of his Army-issue trousers.
But after he finished his military service, his uniform was put into storage before being sold to army surplus stores.
Surprise
Incredibly the note was unearthed in the right hand pocket of his combat trousers by a man who bought them and contacted Maureen.
Mr Dubberley died in 2000 and last night his widow said that being reunited with the letter brought memories flooding back of their fledgling love affair which started when they were 15-year-olds.
Retired wages clerk Maureen, 75, from Halesowen, West Midlands, said: “I couldn’t believe it when it arrived.
“It seems I must have been a lovestruck teenager.
“We were married for 37 years so he must have been the love of my life.
“Before he was called for National Service, Colin was a gifted footballer and could have played professionally for Nottingham Forest.
“This is the only letter I have that I wrote to Colin but I have kept all of his in a box. It’s a lovely surprise to be reunited with it.”
The letter was found by Lee Money, 57, from Bracknell, Berks, who tracked her down using Facebook before returning the letter to her.