大象传媒

I was 22 at the outbreak of war and in about 1940 started working at the Trustee Savings Bank in Liverpool. While working at the bank I became friendly with George Bird and his wife Edna.
As a keen knitter, I was helping the war effort by knitting socks for the troops. On one particular occasion, I was knitting with Edna. She suggested that I should knit a pair of socks for 鈥榦ur Bertie鈥�, George鈥檚 brother: because he had such big feet it was difficult for him to get socks to fit. To knit socks you start at the open end, turn the corner of the heel and knit for as long as you think the sock should be. When I had knitted a few inches beyond the heel I turned to Edna to consult her: 鈥淲ill this be long enough for Bertie?鈥�
To which Edna replied, 鈥淕ood heavens no, Bertie has hellish big feet!鈥�
So I continued knitting, not giving much thought as to whether I would ever meet this man with hellish big feet!
On a day in August 1945 Edna phoned me up at home. 鈥淕eorge鈥檚 brother, Bertie, is home on leave. Come over to our house and meet him. You knitted socks for him, after all!鈥�
I didn鈥檛 realise at the time, but she was actually doing a bit of match making!
鈥淚鈥檓 afraid I can鈥檛 tonight, Edna. I鈥檓 going to see a play at The Playhouse. I鈥檝e already got my ticket and I鈥檓 meeting friends from the bank.鈥�
鈥淥h, but you must. He only has a few hours left before he has to go back.鈥�
Despite Edna鈥檚 insistence, I was not going to change my plans. However, to get back from the city centre to where I lived after 9 o鈥檆lock at night, I had to get the train instead of the bus. The bus would have stopped very near my house but the nearest train station was about a mile away. I decided to make a slight detour and call in at George and Edna鈥檚. At least I could say hello to Bertie (and look at his big feet!).
So I met the man with the hellish big feet but, to me, he was not a 鈥楤ertie鈥�. He was most certainly an 鈥楢lbert鈥�!
Not long after I鈥檇 arrived at George and Edna鈥檚, the next door neighbour called: 鈥淭here鈥檚 news on the radio you should hear!鈥�
So we joined them around their radio. Why we didn鈥檛 listen to George and Edna鈥檚 I don鈥檛 know but at least it made more of a party! The voice on the radio was announcing that the Japanese had surrendered: it was VJ Day! Of course, we all rejoiced at the news and had a drink to celebrate. Not too much, of course, because I still had to walk home!
Albert, as I was going to call him, offered to walk me home. At first I declined. I had often walked home on my own during the black-out. In the end I relented and that was the beginning of a very long relationship. On 5th October 1946 we married and remain so happily to this day.
VJ Day is most certainly a day to remember!

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