AS the stories of the Second World War become more and more scarce, the importance of first-hand accounts grows greater with each passing year.
And one Swansea pensioner, who can remember the horrors of the three-day blitz which destroyed most of Swansea 70 years ago, has one piece of evidence which graphically details the destruction of war.
Winifred Evans, 82, of Sketty Park Drive, and her brother Stuart, found a letter detailing their mother's experiences during the three-day blitz when they were going through her belongings after she passed away in the late 1980s.
Their mother, Olwen Latter, was a porter in Singleton Hospital from 1934 and was on duty when the bombing by the Nazi Luftwaffe claimed 230 lives and left more than 400 injured.
"My brother found the letter in a box with her other things in her home in Bay View Crescent after she died," said Mrs Evans.
"I had heard the stories about the blitz and I can remember it myself but not in such graphic detail.
"It must have been dreadful for her to experience it."
It is unclear why Mrs Latter wrote the article, entitled Tears of Compassion, and when she wrote it, but the story illustrates how brutal the three-day blitz was for the people of Swansea.
The letter reads: "A small boy died of his injuries in hospital and his body was taken to the public mortuary, which was a converted church hall.
"I went with the undertaker to identify the body and went inside the mortuary.
"I think my brain and my heart stood still!
"I felt such a surge of hatred for all humanity that could have allowed such a thing to happen."
Mrs Latter goes on : "I had to step over a woman with a leg and arm missing. Bundles were there which could not be distinguished if they were man, woman or child."
Due to her experiences laid bare by the letter, Mrs Latter also warns future generations about the futility of war.
She writes: "I hope with all sincerity that it will never happen again, and after the rat race in the 'fission fifties', and that the 'cool cats' in the sizzling sixties will not fall into their own trap and fall headlong into the abyss of oblivion."
Mrs Evans added: "I can remember my mother waking us up to get in the shelter, and the noise of the bombers coming over was terrifying.
"They would scream down and you were sure they were coming through the roof. My mother finishes the letter with a warning that the lessons of the war should have been learnt, but they haven't."
robert.goodman@swwmedia.co.uk
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