{"id":6941,"date":"2025-08-02T11:22:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T10:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olddays.co.uk\/?page_id=6941"},"modified":"2025-08-05T18:20:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T17:20:39","slug":"robson1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ianwaugh.com\/archive\/robson1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Robson Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Post-War Romance: The Robson Letters of Jack and Dorothy (1919\u20131921)\"Original<\/a><\/h2>\n

Discovered nearly a century after they were written, this extraordinary archive contains over 300 heartfelt letters<\/strong> exchanged between Jack Robson<\/strong> and Dorothy Grist<\/strong> \u2014 two young Britons navigating love, loss, and hope in the fragile peace that followed the First World War.<\/p>\n

Their correspondence began just months after the Armistice and unfolds across more than two years, offering a deeply personal window into early post-war life in Britain.<\/p>\n

Who Were Jack and Dorothy?<\/h3>\n

John Osborn Robson<\/strong>, known as Jack, was born on 6 June 1894<\/strong> and died on 4 April 1978<\/strong>. A romantic soul and diligent correspondent, Jack began writing to Iris Dorothy Mary Grist<\/strong> (born 20 June 1895<\/strong>, died 6 November 1986<\/strong>) on 20 July 1919<\/strong> \u2014 just three months after they first met on 25 April 1919<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/a><\/p>\n

Jack served in the Royal Flying Corps<\/em>, later renamed the Royal Air Force<\/em> in 1918. After the war, he joined the London stockbroking firm Ferguson, Clark, Robson and Ross<\/em>, where his father, John Ajurere Robson<\/strong> (1864\u20131943), was a senior partner.<\/p>\n

The Robson family endured personal tragedy during the war. Jack\u2019s younger brother Edward Fawsett Robson<\/strong> died on 18 May 1918<\/strong>, aged just 19.<\/p>\n

At the time he began writing to Dorothy, Jack was living at the family home \u2014 33 Kensington Park Gardens, London W11<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Dorothy, meanwhile, resided at various locations throughout the UK, frequently moving address \u2014 possibly due to her work. While her profession remains unclear, she may have served as a private nurse or companion. Her movements are documented in our research notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Sudden Proposal and a Growing Love<\/h3>\n

\"Letter<\/a><\/p>\n

Jack\u2019s early letters are filled with warmth and surprise at how quickly their relationship had blossomed. On 25 July 1919<\/strong>, he wrote:<\/p>\n

“I like getting your letters you darling, for it is three months today since we met. Who\u2019d have thought this would have been going on?”<\/em><\/p>\n

In a bold twist, it appears that Dorothy proposed marriage<\/strong> to Jack \u2014 a highly unusual act for a woman in 1919.<\/p>\n

‘The Boys’ \u2013 Jack’s Brothers<\/h3>\n