大象传媒

I met Tony in Brussels during the liberation. He was in the Air Force. We shouted Happy New Year to each other, we were both with groups of people. Tony was with RAF men from Melbrouck Air Station and were out celebrating New Year, 1945. We went out together and fell in love quickly.
We then decided we would get married over in Belgium, but the Air Force pardrays weren't very happy about mixed marriages as a lot of the marriages didn't last. My family lived in Belgium and I was in service with a local woman. She helped me get my papers together to come to England.
Tony came back to England to get kitted out to go to Japan. I followed him back very soon, when my papers came through. It was a difficult journey and it was very much still under cover. I came over on a flat bottom troop ship, which took all night. I felt safe as there were other ladies travelling on it also. We were treat well and ate on the Captain's table. And then I had an all day train journey to the North of England, again with soldiers all sitting on suitcases. I arrived on the Friday night and Tony got a special license to get married on the Tuesday morning in Bishop Auckland. Soon after we were married the Hiroshima bomb was dropped and the war with Japan was finished as well. Tony was then recalled and he was sent to Wevelgem,Belgium. My husband was vey near to my Mother in Belgium and she fed him on a night. And I was here in County Durham with Tony's family! We swapped countries! This was the case until he was demobbed and were able to be together at last. We stayed in County Durham, where we celebrated 54 years together.
Disclaimer: Submitted by Christine Rome at Spennymoor Library on behalf of Solange Stubbs Johns (nee Decock)

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