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During the campaign, they started putting names in a hat and they drew these names out, and whoever names they drew out of the hat was able to come home on leave. Marsh never put his name in because he said ‘if my name came up and I came home, I could never face it to go back.’ Men did though, and the cases they had of men going back and going berserk. They had an awful lot of trouble.

One man apparently went home on leave — back to London, and found his home and his whole family gone! His house had been bombed, and all of his family killed!

You can see why Marsh never wanted to come home.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Mary Pritchard and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Mary’s stories:

• Worse than hell at times
• So many don’t realise
• Spending a well-earned penny
• Friends together
• A real rough diamond
• Labelled
• Love binds forever faithful hearts
• Non-Fraternisation
• Thanksgiving service
• How to use this book
• Clothing books
• Marsh’s Medals
• Joining Up
• One to keep
• Too terrible to tell
• Tyne Tees Badge
• Cards to Mother
• 11th Armoured Division Badge
• Flensburg Christmas 1945
• KSLI Badge
• Homeguard Arm Band
• Driving permit
• A very hard worker
• Mary’s Medals
• Marsh’s Evacuees
• Evacuees on the farm
• Milk from cows?
• Marsh’s Parents with the Evacuees
• Me and the girls
• All of us
• ATS Cap Badge
• Mary B. Pritchard

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