Dear John....

[Soldier Girl]

Where does the Dear John letter originate. The TV programme didn't come first surely???

[Quizmonster]

The earliest reference appeared in an American publication in 1945. Here's the exact quote:

"'Dear John,' the letter began, 'I have found someone else whom I think the world of. I think the only way out is for us to get a divorce,' it said. They usually began like that, those letters that told of infidelity on the part of the wives of servicemen. The men called them 'Dear Johns'"

Certainly earlier than the TV programme, then!