大象传媒

WARTIME MEMORIES

Auntie Prue's Wedding

My Auntie Prue was a Boltonian. Like hundreds more she left school and went to work in a cotton mill, then with the war came her opportunity to break free from the work she hated.
She joined the local branch of the St John's Ambulance Brigade and practised what she was taught enthusiastically.
Her two friends were equally keen.

Nana Paddison had a dinner party that winter. I had been seated with my back so near the fire that I had fainted towards the end of the meal. As I came round these three amateur nurses were fighting for control of me. I could have died of lack of air! Not only that, they would simulate injuries by daubing lipstick on my poor limbs and I wasn鈥檛 too happy about scrubbing it of!

Alice and Bettie married and stayed in Bolton, but Prue joined the Voluntary Aid detachment and was posted to Barnet near London. She would divide her periods of leave between our house and my Auntie Matt鈥檚. At first we were delighted to be chosen, but as food became more difficult to buy it was a relief to hear she was going to the Gibsons as she never brought a ration book.

In 1942 she met a Londoner and they arranged to be married on 24th December. I was aged ten then, and was allowed to go the wedding with another of Prue鈥檚 sisters, my Auntie Ciss. We stayed with their brother who lived in Whitechapel.

On the 23rd my cousin took me to the pictures with two of his friends, (we never called it 鈥渃inema鈥�). Midway through the film was stopped and the manager stood on the stage and said the sirens had sounded and we all must leave and make for the nearest Air Raid Shelter as the German bombers were coming our way. I remember that people acted very calmly and gave way for each other as we made for the exit.
One of Ken鈥檚 pals gave me a small Bakelite Bambi brooch as a Christmas present and we stood for a minute or two, deciding what to do. Ken thought we should make for home and we arrived there safely. The family was relieved to see us. It was a very disturbed night, first the All Clear then more warnings. My Uncle lived in the ground floor and basement of a block of flats so we were safe enough. Their locality had a majority of Jewish people and they would crowd into Uncle Albert鈥檚, as it was much more comfortable than a shelter. If the raid lasted a long time, Auntie Margaret would try to provide a hot drink and possible, some food, but they said they didn鈥檛 like her rice pudding.

The wedding was at Islington Register Office and on the way the following morning, my Uncle, Auntie and I made our way there and met up with the Groom and his sister.
The air was smoky from the raid.

Auntie Prue wore her uniform and Fred his best brown suit.
He was a builder, in a reserved occupation. We could walk back to the house where Fred lived with his mother. Halfway down the hill I was in trouble with Auntie Prue because I hadn鈥檛 wished her Much Happiness.

Back at the house we had the pleasure of a small reception and it was revealed that we were having chicken sandwiches. I was given the job of handing them around and they were gone before I had the chance to eat one. I had seen the plate containing the remains of the chicken standing on the gas stove in the kitchen and hoped the old lady would make me some more, but it was not my lucky day.

They had already told the tale of relatives along the street and they were upset because there wasn鈥檛 going to be Knees Up. They had sneaked into the kitchen by the back door and stolen the chicken by the time I went in there with my empty plate.

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