ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses over 850 letters that were written between heterosexual Australian married couples to demonstrate how they maintained their relationships, constructed intimacy and combated situational loneliness while they were separated by military service during the Second World War. The exchange of material objects, including letters, was an integral part of maintaining emotional and physical connections to loved ones during the war. By writing, servicemen and their partners overcame the vast physical and emotional distances that divided them. They created a sense of proximity through reflecting on fond memories and detailing often elaborate fantasies where they temporarily synchronised their lives. While these couples demonstrated that loneliness was often an agonising experience, they also demonstrated that it could transform their relationships and themselves for the better.
