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My name is Marjorie and I lived in Brierley Hill. My husband’s name was Jim and he lived at Wordsley. He was a flight-lieutenant in the Royal Air Force on Lancaster bombers based at Mildenhall in Suffolk. He had only one week’s leave to get married and could be recalled at any time if necessary. We were married on Saturday January 1st 1944 at St Michael’s church in Brierley Hill where my father was churchwarden and which I attended all my life. After our reception at the Alma Hotel in Brierley Hill the taxi took us to Kidderminster Station as the first stage of our journey to Tenbury Wells where we were to honeymoon. We boarded a train at the station which was to take us to our destination. We stayed at Haresbrook Farm — a very romantic farmhouse with no electricity, only candles and oil lamps. We had only the weekend as Jim had to report back to his squadron on the following Monday (3rd January). Our return train did not have a corridor and stopped at every station. Each time it stopped I stood at the window to give the impression that the compartment was full since, being so newly-wed, we did not want any company.
Soon after the Severn Valley Railway re-opened Jim and I rode from Bridgnorth to Hampton Lode together with some comrades from the RAF Association and this rekindled some wonderful memories.
(This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer from Wyre Forest Volunteer Bureau on behalf of Marjorie Compson and has been added to this site with his permission. Mrs Compson fully understands the site's terms and conditions.)

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