大象传媒

I first met Ivor Ball at Ripley in Derbyshire in about 1942 when I was in a milk float, near to a local petrol station. The driver of the float had blocked him in and he was none too happy.

About a fortnight later, I met up with him again at dancing classes in some rooms over a house on Chapel Street at Ripley we used to dance to Victor Sylvester, slow slow quick quick slow, the quick step, the rooms were no bigger than bedrooms but we managed and then Ivor and I began courting.

He was called up for the RAF the same year and I saw him off at Butterley station. He went to Padgate near to Blackpool to be fitted up for uniform and he did what he called his 'square bashing in Blackpool.

He wrote to be on a daily basis and I replied. He used to hitch hike it home when he was on leave. We would go to the cinemas and to the odd dance. We also did a lot of walking because we had no money. Often we would go from Coach Road at Ripley down to Golden Valley.

In 1943 Ivor was sent off to India for over three years. He wrote to me very very often still. In 1944 I had to do war service and I joined the Womens Land Army. So we really did have a lot to write to each other about.

Our courtship for these three years was based entirely on letter writing.

As soon as Ivor arrived home from the Far East, in August 1946, he came down on his bicycle to Golden Valley from Ripley where he lived. I was still a Land Army Girl and I just happened to be at home for the weekend. Then he could not wait to marry me, and we were married at christmas 1946 at Ironville Church, Ivor was in his uniform and I wore a white bridal dress made by dressmakers. I had a train and veil and I borrwed the headress and veil from the vicars daughter. We got satin remnants to make up the dress. I also had three bridesmaids, Betty Ball, Edna Palmer and Frieda Inwood, and my brother Jeffrey Palmer was our page boy, he wore velvet trousers and a white satin blouse made by our cousin, Lily Gilbert. The bridesmaids were in marina blue satin dresses and headresses to match.

Butterley Hall, which was a market garden at the time, (now the Derbyshire Police Headquarters) they made the bouquets for me and my bridesmaids and they also decorated the Ironville church from their greenhouses, there were palm trees and the best blooms from the greenhouses. The head gardener arranged it all. I had finished up at Butterley Hall as a Land Girl.

Afterwards we had a reception at Newlands Inn at Golden Valley and my father, Hubert Palmer, killed a pig for the occasion because he ran the slaughterhouse in Golden Valley. As everything was still rationed everyone went mad for the roasted ham which had been oven roasted in a pastry case by Luke Evans the bakers. Pubs were not open daily as things were still on ration but we managed to get a barrell of beer for the celebration.

It was a feast beyond belief.
Everyone brought cakes and other things, all home made. Luke Evans also made my wedding cake.

My uncle Charlie Hawkins played the piano, Bill Inwood played the mouth organ and my dad gave monologues because he was very good at them. He would have everyone helpless with laughter.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the help of my mother Lucy Palmer (nee Hawkins) as I was still busy working as a Land Army Girl, and she was an excellent organiser. My service with the Land Army ended that year. But I still carried on farming as we lived on Butterley Company's farm at Golden Valley, Knowts Hall Farm.

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