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This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by CSV story gatherer Ian Hollins on behalf of Dennis Small. The story has been added to the site with his permission and
Dennis Small fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

The 1939-1945 War — A personal Experience (Part 5)

On the train I felt like the genie when he was let out of the bottle. Peg was now stationed in Kingston upon Thames so as soon as I got home I sent her a telegram to get leave to get married. Peg arrived home about the 7th of August and then we had a very busy time to organize our wedding. We set the date for the 14th of August so I kept my promise.
We had not been married many days when Peg had a cable telling her to report back to her unit, in order for her to start the demob process. So I took her back to Kingston upon Thames and as we came out of the station it was late and the buses had stopped so as we started to walk. A police car stopped and gave us a lift to her unit saving us quite a walk. She later told me that when she got to her bed she found two toy dogs in her bed with a note saying Mr. and Mrs, Small Woo Hoo. I could not get put up that night, so I slept in a bus in the bus station. The next day, I went home and went back a week later to bring her home. Had we not, got married Peg would have had to serve another year. We rented a room from my sister in Filton, but after a few months it was obvious that it was not going to work out. Peg was now expecting a baby and my sister was not too happy about that. Peg and I were finding it quite hard to adjust to civilian life and married life. It was a big change for us but we never ever doubted that we would settle down and Peg was over the moon that she was expecting. Peg was getting to feel more and more uncomfortable so we left and went back home to live until we could find a house. This turned out to be quite impossible but Peg’s brother Bill came to our rescue and let us have his front room and a back bedroom. I was very reluctant to go back in a factory to work and as I had an offer to go into the heating and ventilation trade as a fitter's mate this is what I did. I was put into a heavy gang assembling boilers and I found this work quite interesting. Later I was sent to the ICI chemical works on maintenance work.
I was with this firm for about 12 months I felt that I had a lot of time to make up and with the added responsibility of fatherhood I did not feel I was making any real progress. The foreman treated us like dogs and after coming back from a war I was not impressed. I soon fell out with him and finally I lost my temper with him and gave in my notice. I got a job with a London firm who had just started to work on the Brabazon Hanger. This was to be a 5-year contract and close to home. It was my first experience of working on a steam installation, although the work was heavy and a lot of the time over 100ft high. I started to make so much progress that after about 18 months the foreman, Jimmy Wild, requested to the union for permission to promote me to fitter status. The union, taking my past experience into consideration, said yes.
To cut a long story short, on the fourth year of the contract I was made up to foreman, the contract was getting extra work and was extended for a further 18 months. On the home front Peg had presented me with twin girls and we had a house in Bradley Road Patchway.
So 5 years on I was very happy in a marriage with 3 daughters, a new career and in charge of the biggest space-heating job in the country at that time.

"Remember Me"

Remember me, remember me
I died in France in Normandy
I ran the beach to clear the Hun
To drive them back from whence they come

Remember me, remember me
I braved the raging sea
To land on the Golden Beach of Normandy
My task had only just begun when….
I was felled by a German gun

Remember me, remember me
For I came to set this country free
And gave my life for liberty
Remember me, remember me.

by

Dennis Mervin Royston Small

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