This World War II V-Mail message, sent to Erwin Finch of Equinunk, PA by his friend Bill in England, recently turned up during a kitchen renovation. Short for “Victory Mail,” V-mail was developed by Eastman Kodak and was the main way soldiers stationed abroad were able to communicate with friends and family back home. Because the letters were censored before being transferred to microfilm, V-mail was one of the most secure methods of communication. After letters arrived at their destination, the negatives would be blown up to full size and printed. In addition to increased security, using this small microfilm saved the postal system thousands of tons of shipping space, fitting the equivalent of 37 mail bags worth of letters into just one.

On the 1940 census, Erwin Finch was a 25-year-old laborer living with his parents in Buckingham Township. Born in 1915, son of Elmer and Lulu Palmer Finch, Erwin died in 1996. His friend Bill is unidentified.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society, 810 Main St., Honesdale. The museum and research library are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and museum only 12 noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.