“I Am Still Here”: Letters from a French POW, 1943–1945
A sequence of letters written under censorship—where what is said, and what is left unsaid, tell two different stories.
These letters were written between 1943 and 1945 by Anatole, a French prisoner of war held in a German camp during the Second World War.
Addressed to a woman in Hondschoote, in northern France, they trace a quiet, unfolding record of captivity—not through dramatic events, but through small, repeated acts: reassurance, requests for parcels, mentions of weather, and expressions of affection.
Like much prisoner correspondence of the period, the letters are shaped by censorship. Certain topics are avoided or softened; certain phrases recur. Health is consistently reported as good. Conditions are described sparingly.
And yet, within these constraints, something else emerges.
Across the letters, subtle shifts in tone reveal the passage of time: early stability gives way to illness, uncertainty, and a growing awareness of absence. The writer marks months of captivity, reflects on aging, and expresses, at times, a quiet fear of being forgotten.
Particularly striking are two pieces written on the same day in January 1945: a full letter and a brief postcard. Read together, they illustrate the distance between what could be written and what was lived.
These documents do not offer a complete history of captivity. Instead, they preserve something more fragile: the effort to remain present—to oneself, and to someone waiting at home—under conditions where both time and identity threatened to slip away.
1 August 1943
Original French:
Le 1er août 1943
Ma chère bien-aimée,
J’ai reçu cette semaine ta lettre du 2 juillet qui m’a fait beaucoup plaisir de savoir en bonne santé. Tu dois maintenant savoir que je suis très content de mon nouveau poste et surtout du chef que je ne verrai pas.
J’ai reçu aujourd’hui un très beau colis. Évidemment j’ai trouvé beaucoup de produits, du tabac, des cigarettes et le reste était au complet.
Je ne sais pas comment te remercier, tu as mis du baume dans mon cœur.
Je te fais une grande chère. Merci encore à maman, à toute la famille et à Joseph.
Je suis content car je crois que la guerre ne durera plus longtemps comme je l’annonçais bien souvent. Je serai de retour et tu verras comme nous serons heureux.
J’ai très bien connu Marcel Verleene (ou Verleure), nous avons été élèves ensemble à Hondschoote, c’est un brave garçon.
Je suis maintenant dans une autre ferme à 5 km d’une ancienne ferme où j’étais.
Encore ma chère, je t’embrasse ainsi que la famille de Villem et pour toi je t’envoie mon cœur avec une profonde affection et mes baisers.
Anatole
English Translation:
August 1, 1943
My dear beloved,
This week I received your letter of July 2, which gave me great pleasure to know that you are in good health. You must know by now that I am very happy in my new position, especially with the supervisor, whom I will not have to see.
Today I received a very nice parcel. Naturally, I found many useful things in it—tobacco, cigarettes—and everything was complete.
I don’t know how to thank you; you have brought comfort to my heart.
I send you my deepest affection. Thanks again to Mother, to the whole family, and to Joseph.
I am happy, because I believe the war will not last much longer, as I have often said. I will return, and you will see how happy we will be.
I knew Marcel Verleene very well; we were students together in Hondschoote—he is a fine fellow.
I am now on another farm about 5 kilometers from the one where I was before.
Once again, my dear, I embrace you, as well as the Villem family, and to you I send my heart with deep affection and my kisses.
Anatole
Notes
- “nouveau poste… ferme” → confirms agricultural labor assignment, typical for French POWs in Germany
- “le chef que je ne verrai pas” → subtle humor or relief, possibly indicating lenient supervision
- parcel contents (tobacco, cigarettes) → currency of morale in camps
- tone: notably optimistic and grounded compared to later letters
- belief war will end soon → common mid-war sentiment (1943 optimism)
- mention of Hondschoote contact → confirms pre-war local network still emotionally active
- distance between farms (5 km) → suggests mobility within labor assignments
4 April 1944
Original French:
Le 4 avril 1944
Ma chère bien-aimée,
J’ai reçu avec plaisir ta lettre du 11 mars. Je suis content que tu sois en bonne santé. Évidemment que tout ce que je te dis c’est pour te rassurer.
J’ai une confiance absolue en toi et je t’aime et je suis sûr que tu m’aimes aussi.
Je te demande de me pardonner de bon cœur et d’un cœur sincère.
Ici pour moi c’est toujours la même vie. Je me suis réhabitué à nouveau. J’ai demandé à repartir en kommando pour plusieurs raisons mais cela n’a pas été accepté.
Vendredi prochain j’écrirai une carte à mon oncle. Je reçois les lettres pour toi, à raison, n’est-ce pas mon petit?
De toute façon mon travail ne me laisse pas tranquille. J’ai une petite blessure à la main droite.
Il faut se débrouiller, n’est-ce pas. Embrasse toute la famille de Villem pour moi ainsi que Pierre et Rosa.
Je t’envoie mon cœur avec toute ma confiance et mon éternelle affection. Je t’embrasse de tout mon cœur.
Anatole
English Tranlation:
April 4, 1944
My dear beloved,
I was happy to receive your letter of March 11. I’m glad that you are in good health. Of course, everything I tell you is meant to reassure you.
I have complete confidence in you, and I love you, and I am sure that you love me as well.
I ask you to forgive me sincerely and wholeheartedly.
For me here, life is always the same. I have gotten used to it again. I asked to return to a work detail for several reasons, but this was not accepted.
Next Friday I will write a card to my uncle. I receive the letters for you—as expected, isn’t that right, my dear?
In any case, my work doesn’t leave me much peace. I have a small injury to my right hand.
One must manage somehow, mustn’t one. Give my regards to the Villem family, as well as Pierre and Rosa.
I send you my heart with all my trust and my everlasting affection. I embrace you with all my heart.
Anatole
Notes
- “tout ce que je te dis… te rassurer” → rare, explicit acknowledgment of self-censorship
- repetition of love + trust → suggests distance anxiety / need for reassurance
- request for forgiveness → unexplained tension, possibly emotional or circumstantial
- “la même vie” → standard POW phrasing masking monotony and stagnation
- denied request to return to work detail → hints at restricted movement or worsening conditions
- minor injury mentioned briefly → downplaying hardship
- tone shift from 1943 → still stable, but more controlled and self-aware