The letters are heart breaking and offer insights into how these women were feeling.
‘I haven’t any children madam no I’ve nothing left, only his photograph…’
The significance of the letters was recognised by the National Trust, Teesside Archives and mainly the University of Teesside, which started the 'Dear Mrs Pennyman' project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The aim of the project was to digitise over 100 letters which were sent to Mary Pennyman and discover more about the women who wrote them.
http://www.dearmrspennyman.com/
This project has increased our understanding of life on the home front during the First World War and of how the conflict affected the women both during and after the war had ended.