Ronald Still, a Cambridge-educated classicist and a qualified doctor, was twenty seven years old in August 1935 when he went to China with his young wife, Gwyneth, to work with the Baptist Missionary Society. The letters he and Gwyneth wrote home to their families tell initially of medical work in provincial China at the time, but go on to give a first hand account of five years living under Japanese occupation, followed by three years’ internment in Shanghai.

Scarcely a letter has been lost in the whole ten years of this unusually comprehensive correspondence. In a style that is both thoughtful and engaging, we get a picture of an open and affectionate young couple entering upon mission work, creating a home and starting a family. Soon, though, the content changes and the reader is plunged into a lively record of the tensions occasioned by running a mission hospital under Japanese occupation, and the impact of internment, liberation and return to the UK.

Written against a background of danger, uncertainty and hardship, the prevailing tone of the letters is positive and life-affirming. The story is told with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a keen eye for human interest. Because the letters were written contemporaneously, the reader shares the uncertainties and is involved in the dilemmas experienced by the writers themselves.

The text of the letters is interspersed with brief sections of narrative which give explanatory information about the personal, social and historical context.

This is an intimate and compelling story of ordinary people living in extraordinary times. It throws light on a hitherto little known aspect of World War 2 and brings alive the work of mid 20th century Christian missionaries in a way that is both accessible and inspiring.