- Contributed byÌý
- brssouthglosproject
- People in story:Ìý
- Kathleen Winchester, Les Cotton, Betty Clease
- Location of story:Ìý
- Staple Hill, Bristol
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4556928
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 26 July 2005
My friend Kathleen was married on her 18th birthday on the 22nd April 1944, to Sgt Les Cotton RAF rear gunner in a Lancaster aircraft. She had two sisters as bridesmaids and myself who borrowed my outfit from a friend I worked with. The service took place at the Little Bethesda Chapel in Staple Hill; also the reception was held in the hall. As well as friends and relatives all the crew from the airbase were invited, 2 were Canadian, 1 Scottish and I can’t remember much about the others. Anyway the honeymoon had to be brief as they all had to report back to Lincolnshire for duty. Two days later on the following Monday, Kathleen and Les went to Weston-Super-Mare by train from Temple Meads Station in Bristol to spend the night. Not long after it was sad news. Only a few days later the airmen's Lancaster was hit by enemy fire while on operations over Germany. Somehow or other the pilot flew the plane to Switzerland , which was a neutral country, the pilot and navigator managed to bale out, but the others were killed, so Kathleen was married and widowed within a few days.
After the war finished, during 1947 Kathleen and myself travelled by coach to Vevey. This was located on the edge of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. We went to visit the war graves. They were situated on a hillside overlooking the lake. It was my 21st birthday around that time and it was the custom for parents to give a gold watch or something similar for a 21st present, but I asked my parents for the money to go to Switzerland instead. Holidays abroad were very rare in those days. It was a sad time, but we spent the rest of the holiday in Montroux.
However Kath remarried some years later but never had a family.
****
VJ Day
I can remember VJ day quite well as I was on a holiday in Bournemouth. When we heard the news everyone gathered in the Square. There were all sorts of people, RAF, American forces, Navy and Army. In party mood we all did the Congo through the gardens to the beach. There we ended up having a party until 2’ o’clock in the morning, it was great fun.
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