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14 September 1940 — My Parents’ Wedding Day

Setting the Scene — 13 September
My parents lived in a small town called West Drayton, Middlesex — between Heathrow RAF Aerodrome (now Heathrow Airport) and West Drayton RAF Base (plus Uxbridge RAF Base wasn’t that far off and London only 15 miles or so away). Mum’s parents lived in Maxwell Road — 3 up, 2 down with an air-raid shelter at the bottom of the garden. On the corner of the road was a Big Bertha anti-aircraft gun which made the houses shake and shudder.

Several of mum’s aunts and uncles came along from Durham and Yorkshire for the wedding even though they were warned of how bad the situation was but they confidently said they were used to planes and bombing etc ….. then, shortly after they arrived on the 13th, Big Bertha started up in earnest - uncles and aunties raced for the air-raid shelter — the first one there raced in and before he could stop he was up to his waist in water !

The Wedding Day — 14 September
Mum worked for a family that owned a manufacturing factory who were able to persuade the local council to unlock the gates to The Closes (a large park with huge oaks lining the thoroughfare through it) so their chauffeur could drive mum to the church. Heaven knows for what strategic reason it was locked as it led from a farmer’s fields to St Martin’s Church.

Needless to say when the car got to the gates they were still locked and the driver had to run through The Closes to find the gatekeeper to get him to unlock the gates. Of course, this made mum late for the ceremony and the Reverend was very annoyed and let her know it. She joined Dad in front of the altar and as the minister officiated he was quite obviously shaking in his shoes. Mum said the priest gabbled the service so quickly she wondered if it was legal and he rushed them out of the church, locked the door and raced off to his own air raid shelter while a few photos were taken.

So off they went to the reception held at the local hall. Needless to say they’d scrimped and saved ingredients for the cake and a light meal but the incessant noise of aircraft flying over and the worry about whether the bombs would be dropped nearby ensured that everyone left very early leaving much food over. Not much dancing or merriment at that wedding.

So,on mum and dad’s honeymoon night they were given the main bedroom at her parent’s home; the Aunts and Uncles paired up in the other two bedrooms, mum’s parents and two siblings slept in the parlour and another two uncles slept in the hallway.

The Northern relatives cancelled the rest of their planned week or so away and went home as soon as they could after the wedding. (Never able to solve the water problem, Mum’s family never used the air raid shelter the whole of the war !)

And Mum and Dad lived happily ever after (well for nearly 50 years anyhow)!!

My mum often told me she could never understand why the 14th was chosen as Battle of Britain day as she reckoned the 13th September was much worse because of the amount of aircraft going over and noise of bombing and anti-aircraft guns going !!!

Eileend

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