大象传媒

鈥淚t was Easter Monday in 1941 and we all went to St. John the Baptists Church in Newport for an Easter dance. As usual there were always 10 women to every man. Most men had been drafted into the forces by that time. We remember dancing the Paul Jones, that is where the men form a circle inside and the women face them on the outside. When the music stopped the women had to grab the man opposite her, it was an absolute free for all. Similar to a game of musical chairs, there was always one left out.

I chose to sit this one out, so I simply watched and stood against the stage. I was wearing a pink and patterned long waistcoat that was tied at the back in a big bow, it was a typical 40s dress. My hair was brown and styled in a short and curly bob. We never had collars on our dressers because during the wartime you couldn鈥檛 get much material for clothes. Coupons only allowed a single pleat, box pleats were not allowed because they used too much material. The government only allowed basic products so that they had enough money to support the war effort. They allowed enough material to make one set of curtains; I used this extra material from the curtains to make clothes. My friend always made the most beautiful dresses for me.

Anyway back to me leaning against that stage with some friends. I glanced to my left and there stood a fair-haired soldier, I caught his eye. He came over, I wondered if he had had a few drinks. He turned to my friend Meg and said: 鈥淭his is the girl I am going to marry鈥�. Meg replied 鈥淕ive her a couple of months grace for Gods Sake鈥�.

So it ended up that Bert Williams walked me home that night. On the way home I remember it was very dark and I asked him what were the colours on his hat. He replied that they were pink and blue. Obviously it was a downright lie, he was a cheeky so and so. He walked me to the bottom of the hill. We made no formal plans to meet, but I did mention that I did shifts in the Good Companions Club, it was a club for servicemen or anyone billeted there. A week later he visited me in the cloakroom where I worked. He chatted me up for a while and we started going out from then on.

We often drank at the Queens Hotel in Newport. We drank port and lemon because whiskey and spirits were hard to get. Later we drank gin and orange. Cinema was another of our favourite past times. They changed the show twice a week. It was always full. Bert and I visited the Chepstow Castle it was one of my favourite pastimes. A year after our meeting we got married in May 1942, I wore a pale beautiful apple green coat on my honeymoon made out of a blanket, it was the comfiest jacket I have ever worn. We stayed together still D-Day when he left for France. We stayed together after the war and had two children Susan and Jeffrey Williams.鈥�

Recorded by Sara Williams

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