Historians discover stash of saucy coded 1940s love letters

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but according to historians so does a saucy note from your sweetheart pining for your swift, safe return!

The team at Brancepeth Castle in County Durham have recently discovered a haul of intriguing love letters dating back to the 1940s, with a range of acronyms written on the envelopes.

They were sent from loved ones to soldiers based at what was then the headquarters of the Durham Light Infantry, where thousands of men trained.

Many letters, found behind a trap-door are from family members with charmingly typical content, but others concern matters of the heart concealed with secret codewords.

At the time, it was traditional to seal an envelope with an acronym. While some were quite sweet, others were rather more saucy - such as EGYPT and the rather more lewd NORWICH.

Geoffrey Harrison, Chairman of the Brancepeth Archives and History Group, said: "They tell a great story - nothing to do with military secrets, just ordinary servicemen communicating with the families and their sweethearts. It's just a lovely snapshot of time."

While the experts have worked out many of the codewords, they are now asking for help after being baffled by the messages 'TMDDH' and 'BOLOP'.

If you know the answer, you can contact them here.