The Valentine Letters

Jo Emery Productions presents the première of a brand new play, based on the book ‘Geprüft” by Frances Zagni.

The play is based upon the Second World War correspondence between RAF airman and Prisoner of War John Valentine and his wife Ursula. These letters, compiled and edited by John and Ursula’s daughter Frances, provide a unique and unprecedented insight in to how two people struggled to find solace, keep their hopes and love alive despite the anxieties of John’s dangerous operational life and his three years behind barbed wire, and how John’s health deteriorated, returning a different man to the one Ursula first knew and fell in love with.

The play covers the themes of separation, isolation, coping, and change, with humorous and heartwarming moments interspersed throughout. It is a remarkable account of the effect of the Second World War on the lives of a young married couple and their generation.

John and Ursula’s letters, numbering almost 600, are a remarkable personal insight into the effects of the war and wartime conditions. It is particularly poignant that we can present this play over the Remembrance weekend, to honour the sacrifice these people made in terms of lives lost and the lasting mental and physical damage they suffered.