A LETTER written to a prisoner of war found in a Polish mining museum will now never reach its destination.

The letter was written by Eileen Pitts, once of Sidmouth Road, Leyton, to her husband, Rifleman George Pitts and is dated August 18, 1944.

But after reading the Guardian's report on the letter, Mr Pitts' sister-in-law, Shirley Pitts, of Capworth Street, Leyton, has confirmed he passed away in 1996 and believes his wife has also died.

Her own husband, Alf, was George's brother and passed away last week at the age of 75.

Shirley said: “George and Eileen were at my wedding – he was best man to Alf.

“He was very private and quiet after coming out of the prisoner of war camp. It must have changed his life an awful lot.”

She described how George, who was much older than Alf, used to visit his mother and take her out for lunch but stopped after the war and soon lost touch with the family altogether.

The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-five, 73, said: “He came out of the army and never mixed with his brothers anymore.”

The letter from Eileen was found by tour operator Philip Baker, 60, in a coal mining museum in Zabrze, Poland during a recent trip there with the families of former prisoners of war (PoWs).

He believed George Pitts was one of the prisoners forced to work in the mines as the letter and a photo were found in a nearby house and given to the museum.

But Mr Baker managed to trace Mr Pitts' nephew, Lesley Pitts, who was able to bring a copy of the letter to Alf's funeral.

Shirley said: “It was so uncanny to find out about it. They read it out in the funeral home and they're going to put in the memorial.”

She added that Eileen may still have a surviving sister, who could still be living in Leyton.