大象传媒

This story was told by JimSherratt at a meeting of Stoke Live at Home group and entered on to the website by a volunteer.

I courted Audrey for 4 years before I married her in 1941. I was 24 yeard old and had a job with the City Works Dept. We had our do at Norton Cricket Club. Poultry was off the ration then so we managed to get hold of a turkey for the dinner. My aunt worked at Boyce Adams bakery ,so she provided the icing for the cake, Audrey had her own dress made for the wedding. Afterwards she lent it out 7 or 8 times to her friends until it fell apart.

I joined the RAF as a joiner,working on the Mosquito planes which were made of wood. Th ey were the fastest fliers-faster even than spitfires. I was based on the south coast of England on what they called ADGB:Air Defence of Great Britian.I worked as a parachute packer amongst other things.

The forces weee good to married couples and arranged our postings so that we never far apart .Also when I got leave , so did Audrey so we could spend time together.

One day she was posted to the station where I was based. I didn't know she was comingand I's been working late in the hanger. When I left for my late linch t go to the cookhouse ther she was. She knew I had to get hungry sometime so sh'd waited for me. I hadn't seen her for 3 months at the time.
We got the afternoon off and went for a walk bit it cam eon rain. Well there was a barn nearby ful of hay and I don't need to tell you how we spent our time there.

Later,Audrey told me that wehe she got back that evening to WAAFery(WAAF hostel) whwre she was staying ,the place was as clean as new pin,the floors shining like glass . She took off her clothes to get changed and all this hay fell out.

In June 1944 we were going to meet up on leave and e both had passes for London. That morning ,a;; leave was cancelled and we were told to return to base.:it was D-Day.I was due to meet Audrey at King's Cross and I didn't want her to wait,I rang the station master to put out an announcement for her on the tannoy. At the last minute someone changed their minds and I was told I could go on leave after all. I raced up to London but Audrey got my message and gonr away. So we were both in London for D-Day but never met up in the end.

I was demobbed in Nov 1945 and went back to working as ajoiner for the Works Dept. During the war ,we didn't have a house of our own but lived ,whenon leave ,with my parents. In 1947,just after our little boy was born,we bought a house in Milton,half of one of the first pairs to be built on hte new estate there.When we put in an offer it cost 拢938 but by the time we completed the purchase it cost 拢1100. A good investment

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