大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's war site by Val Brewer from csvkent on behalf of Violet Bowles and has been added to this site with her permission. Violet fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

Violet was born and bred in Margate on the Kent coast. When war broke out she was 19 years old and living with her parents and two sisters in a tiny cottage at the top of Margate High St. She had left school at the age of 12 years and entered service with a local family. It was here that she met her future husband who was learning to be a baker. He was her only boyfriend.

"Yes I remember it well, the day started out badly when the bridesmaids were trapped on the train coming from Chatham.

Then we had to fetch the vicar from the dug-out where he was attending to people. In the middle of the service the siren sounded and we had to run for our lives.There we were, all in the shelter with our wedding clothes on. Eventually we went back to the church but Dad, who was in the ARP had to go to help dig the poor people out. He was gone for three days, someone took him a roll to eat I remember.

I was the last person to have a wedding cake with white icing from Hubert Reeves bakery in the High Street. After that it was cocoa icing for the duration.

Soon after we were married my husband who was nineteen was called up and served on minesweepers all through the war".

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