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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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My First Long Train Journey

by cambslibs

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Archive List > Love in Wartime

Contributed by听
cambslibs
People in story:听
Ivy Laxton; Sidney Laxton
Location of story:听
Peterborough to Glasgow
Background to story:听
Civilian
Article ID:听
A2997804
Contributed on:听
13 September 2004

I met my husband in Peterborough in 1941 and we were married in 1943. he had joined the Navy in 1942, and was sent overseas shortly after we were married. 15 months later he landed in Scotland and sent me a telegram: "Meet me in Glasgow". well, I'd never been on a train journey like that before and so I went to the railway Station and discovered there was a train at 10 o'clock that night.
It was absolutley pitch black because of the blackout, but nobody was afraid to eb out during wartime, so I wasn't worried. the train was a troop train, packed full of servicemen on their way home on leave or back to duty. It was packed and I shared a compartment with about 20 servicemen. You'd think I'd have been nervous, but I wasn't: they were all so friendly. Everyone was very tired and we slept most of the way, but I did get chatting to the chap sitting next to me. When we reached Edinburgh where we had to change for Glasgow, he got off the train too. He told me that we could get a cup of tea from the NAAFI, but that the only way they would give me one as I was not a servicewoman myself, was if I pretended to be his wife. Well, I decided the cup of tea was definitely worth it and we duly managed to get 2 cups with no problems. We continued on our journey and when I arrived in Glasgow, there was my husband, a lone sailor, standing on the platform waiting for me. My first train journey had truly been an exciting experience.

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