大象传媒

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I was born Eugenia Soldano. My mother was English and my father was Italian. In 1939 we were living in Pimlico - my Mother had a boarding house there. I had attended a French school in Leicester Square and spoke French and Italian fluently. I was working in Dolphin Square when General de Gualle came to England from France and came to live in our building.

They knew I spoke French fluently and put my name forward to the General as a translator. I was lucky. I was there at the time and I had the qualifications needed. At first It was frightning - he was such a great man and I was only seventeen. Wherever he went, I went with him as his interpreter. He was hard to work for as he was so precise, you had to be exact in translation. But It was a very good experience for me and I've never forgotten it.

I worked for de Gaulle for a year and then I was called up. This was difficult for me because of my Father who was Italian. He had never been naturalised, so the only job they would give me was in the Mess. I finished up as a sergeant in the Mess and that was where I met my future husband.

I came out in 1946 after five years in the Army and he was demobbed on February 6th 1946. We got married on the 9th and came to live in Tollesbury.

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