Dear Rita: A Forgotten Soldier’s Story 1940 – 1944

‘Dear Rita’ – The Letters Collection (1941 – 1944)

On January 21 1941, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RRAC) gunner Bob Lumsden sent his first letter to Rita Pinkerton from overseas. It was the personal correspondence equivalent of a reconnaissance mission. Edmonton, Alberta born Bob had only met Rita once – in September 1940, at her family’s North Bay, Ontario farm. Bob had stuffed Rita’s handwritten address into his jacket before he continued hitchhiking the 200 km (120 miles) distance back to his Camp Petawawa training base. Bob’s clothes and Rita’s mailing address had arrived at his southern England RRAC anti-aircraft base after he had been posted there for several weeks.
Perhaps the four month gap between their chance September meeting and Bob’s first ‘Dear Rita’ letter gave the young soldier additional allure in Miss Pinkerton’s eyes. She must have wondered whether Bob would ever write to her as the weeks after their North Bay encounter became months – with no other communications between them possible in wartime.
The 74 letters that followed Bob’s first correspondence are presented here in their chronological order, unedited and unabridged. The original envelopes are also included. Some of them have a military censor’s stamp, such as the March 29, 1943 ‘Examiner 4941’ confirmation that the envelope did not contain any sensitive military information. One can imagine an anonymous Army functionary reading endless streams of soldier’s sweet nothings and loneliness – with the occasional security breach or possible enemy sympathizer revealed to keep things interesting.
Our readers can let their minds and imaginations wander about how it must have been for Bob and Rita in an era where letter writing provided a relationship lifeline. Bob’s writings reflect his intentions to build something permanent with Rita when the war was finally over. It seems certain that she saw a similar future after Bob’s returned home to Canada.
Save for two letters that Bob was carrying on the day he was killed (November 14 1943), we only know what Rita wrote to Bob from his replies that are preserved forever in this remarkable collection. These letters are a silent, stirring testament to the eternal appeal of heartfelt words, passions, hopes, dreams – and what might have been. We hope you enjoy reading them ….