大象传媒

This Story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War web site by a Volunteer on behalf of Mrs Ivy Chapman and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

鈥楳arried to the Navy鈥�.

My name is Ivy Coleman, the fourth daughter of Henry and Nellie Johnston of Glyde Path Road, Dorchester, Dorset. My mother was brought up in the town. My farther was an Irishman who had joined the army. He was in the Medical Corps. He said because he overstayed his leave, he was stationed at Maiden Castle. We were a big family, seven of us in all. I had two brothers, William and Harry and four sisters, May, Elsie, Doris and the youngest, Sheila who was born when I was 14 years old.
I went to the Grove School. I met my husband when I was either seventeen or eighteen. We were married in 1936 when I was 20 years old. Bernard (Bert) was in the Navy. He spent a lot of time in Durban, South Africa. When he was there before the war, on a two and a half year commission, so he wanted me to go out and join him, but you could not get any passages then. I had saved up to go out when he was at Simonstown on HMS Anthian. He had to ask the Captain how long they were staying as he did not want me to go out and find he was not there. The Captain told him he was very lucky that his wife could come out, but they would be on the move then. Of course I had got every thing ready with my Cabin Trunk. Then the Cablegram came and I cried my eyes out. My mother told me that as I was married to the Navy I could expect such things. It was rather sad that I never went. When he came home in December 1938 from 2 1/2 years in South Africa, we had rooms in Portsmouth. There was talk of war even then. As we did not have any children, I was going to be an Ambulance Assistant in Portsmouth.

At the outbreak of war he was in the Battleship HMS Revenge stationed at Portland. I was then staying with my sister in Weymouth. Her husband had been called up and she was expecting another child at that time. He used to get what they called 鈥楤oys Leave鈥� as war was imminent. It meant they had to be back on board between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. We had a car then, it was a two seater so we could get around. My sister had lent a couple of rooms to one of his friends, so they used to go back together. When war broke out on the Sunday he had all night leave. He wrote down for me places where he thought they might go but of course they went to Nova Scotia and Halifax, taking the gold out of the country. They did that backwards and forwards for quite a time. Then he went on the Russian Convoys still on HMS Revenge. He was on there for about 4 years all through the war. He was fortunate in some respects as he spent a long time in South Africa. They were going on there again but were stopped when HMS Hood was sunk.
Naturally after the war had started and my sister had the baby, I came home. But I would go wherever I could. One time I was staying just outside Portsmouth and there was bombing then because when the ships were in, particularly a Battleship, it attracted the bombers. I had met another wife and we would go wherever the ship was in port as I did not have any children then. Even to Scotland. I would receive a telegram to meet him at a set time and place. Often we would arrange to meet at the same time and place the following day only to find his ship had sailed. But he had seen me which was the main thing. I travelled quite a lot. The first time I went to Scotland I had to go through London when the raids were on. You were lucky if you could get a seat on the train. People were standing, as you could not book a seat if you wanted to in those days. I remember on incident when he wanted me to go to Edinburgh. At the time I was working in County Hall and could always get leave. I was travelling all night and I knew that I would look a bit dishevelled early in the morning. I would get there about 6 am. And he would not be coming ashore until a about 12 o鈥檆lock, so I thought I would go to a Hotel in Princes Street and ordered some breakfast and then change into a better coat and hat. I went in and ordered breakfast. They said I could not do this, as I had not stayed there. So I went into the toilet and changed. When he came ashore we had to go and look for somewhere to stay as we could not afford Hotels. We did find somewhere and the Theatres would always have a show on for servicemen. Then it was time for him to go back to the ship. He would say see you tomorrow at such and such time. But then he would be gone. He could not tell me. But a least we had seen each other. I would then have to go all the way home.

In those days you could not just take any job. You could not just work in an office; you had to take a man鈥檚 place. There were several places in Grocery shops so I went to work in Fare鈥檚 Stores in High West Street, which is now a curtain shop. The men that worked there were all very elderly and could not lift heavy things. They were all 鈥榙ot and carry one鈥�. So we worked in pairs. We were paid 25 shillings a week. I worked with a lady called Mrs Sullivan and we used to do the orders for other shops, which was heavy work. Then after a few months Mr Fare said we had to have Trade Union Wages, which was about 2 pounds 50 or some thing like that. So on a Friday we would go and get our money, we would queue up for our wages. Mr Fare was very tight with the money. He said to Mrs Sullivan, 鈥淚 will expect you to work harder鈥�. He never said it to me. Then there was the egg incident. You had a Ration Card and you were allowed eggs when it was egg week. So my husband being in the Navy did not really understand all this, but he used to get an Emegency Ration Card. I had left Fare鈥檚 by then and taken a man鈥檚 job at County Hall in the Treasurers Department. So we had this Ration Book and I went over to get my groceries. They said 鈥淣o eggs on Emengency Cards鈥� My husband could not quite understand that being in the Navy, he pointed out that it said eggs on the card. He went to the Food Office and they told him 鈥業f you wife and her family always have their Groceries from the same place and it says egg then you are entitled to an egg, one egg鈥�. So my husband went into Fare鈥檚 Grocery shop with his card and said to Mr Fare, 鈥淚t is like this Mr Fare I am not going without my egg. I have been to the Food Office鈥�. So Mr Fare went out and got one egg in a bag. It was 2 1/2d. All the women in the shop gave him a good clap. We always love to tell this story.

When my husband came home on leave and we heard the siren, we would not get up. My mother was a bit more anxious because she had my younger sister. One time when he was home for a couple of days and his ship was in Plymouth or somewhere, they moved suddenly all the way up to Scotland. He should have had a telegram recalling him which he never had. On his return he was crossexamined and they said that they would give the benfit of the doubt. He said that was no good to him. If he had received the telegram he would have returned immediately.

We had a girl with us in the office who had come from the Channel Islands. She stayed with us for a while through out the war. I think she stayed about four years. I suppose she was billeted somewhere. After the war she went home. She was a lovely girl and only a teenager when she came.

When you went to work at County Hall you had to do some Voluntary work. I was fire watching with Civil Defence, which was down in the bowls of County Hall. One week we slept in, four ladies in one bedroom. As I only lived in Glyde Path Road, One of the men would come and meet me and see me in, as it was dark at night. We had greatcoats and gas masks and special cards to get into County Hall. One week we slept in and the next week we were on call if the siren went and another week we went and did two hours. It was handy to me as I only lived in Glyde Path Road. Of course us four ladies would talk half of the night through as you could imagine. By the end of the week we were absolutely 鈥榙og鈥� tired. We got paid 4 shillings a shift or something like that. We were paid about every quarter. So when we got this money, we would go to the Plaza Cinema, which had a Restaurant then, and we would have a tea. This was a bonus. Of course, we all had parties when the war was over. All of us in the Civil Defence had our photographs taken on the steps. We also had a Dinner at the County Court place, hosted by the Sheriff. My father, being rather elderly, was in the Home Guard. They all had parties when the war was over. When I came home to Glyde Path road one night my father was lying in the hallway with his feet sticking out of the front door. I said to Mum 鈥淲hat the matter with Dad then鈥�. She said, 鈥淗e鈥檚 been to his party. They鈥檝e been giving him whisky, which he is not used to. Leave him where he is鈥�.

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