大象传媒

This contribution was provided at a 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk Event (Wartime Friendships, Comradeship and Romance). The story has been written and submitted to the website by Tim Edwards (Volunteer Story Gatherer) with the full permission and on behalf of Mrs. Marjorie Sutton (nee Allen).

I was Secretary to the MD of The Hygienic Handy laundry in the Tuesday Market Place, Kings Lynn Norfolk. My Husband to be named John (later to be a FEPOW) was based in King Street, Kings Lynn, where he was the bodyguard to Lt. Col. Eric Prattley. John was responsible for, amongst many other duties, arranging the laundry for the Officers鈥� Mess. I sometimes think he made far more visits than were absolutely necessary to make these arrangements!

It wasn鈥檛 until August 1940 that he asked me out on our first date together and because no one knew what the future held in those early days of war, in December of that year he asked my Mother, as I was under the age of 21 for permission that we should be allowed to get married.
Early in 1941 John and I got engaged and shortly afterwards the Norfolks were sent to Castle Douglas in Scotland. Their posting after this was to the Far East; it wasn鈥檛 until very much later that I learnt my future Husband was taken a prisoner of war on February 15th 1942.

Meanwhile I continued my work at the laundry in Kings Lynn, for a period of time this was considered a reserved occupation, mostly because of the requirements of the army! In the evenings after work I also operated the switchboard for the local fire service. Experiencing one very narrow and fortunate escape on an evening when a friend and I went to Limberts in Norfolk Street to get fish and chips. As we walked down the street with our supper a bomb dropped from the skies above destroying the shop in which we had been minutes earlier and causing many injuries. I was called up to work in munitions and after training for 3 months at the Govt. Training Centre in Letchworth I was sent to Murphy Radios at Welwyn Garden City as an instrument maker. Some of the work I was required to do was secret war work and included walkie-talkie radio sets.

Of course there was no way of letting John know I no longer lived in Kings Lynn, before I had left I had received a Red Cross letter from him simply stating 鈥淚 AM WELL AND WITH PRATTLEY (AND OTHER FAMILIAR NAMES FROM HIS REGIMENT)鈥�. It was then that I realised they were all POWs so acting upon John鈥檚 instructions before leaving for the Far East passed this information onto the friends and families of the other men.

In 1945 I came back to Kings Lynn for my Birthday in September and to see my Brother who was home on leave from the Far East for his Birthday. My Uncle was there too and he gave me a letter that had been delivered to my lodgings in Kings Lynn the previous month. It was from John and this time simply said 鈥淚 have 10 yards of china white silk for your wedding dress鈥�. I knew he was on his way home. We learnt that the POWs were on their way back into Liverpool Docks on the SOBESKI and would be arriving at Euston Station 5pm the next day. I hurriedly arranged to have some time off from Murphys and went to Euston not knowing whether John would recognise me or worse whether I would recognise him.

There was an allocated reception area and many ambulances, I was very worried indeed. To say I and many others were shocked to see these men when they alighted would be an understatement. Many were so weak and emaciated, including John, any belongings they had with them had to be carried by someone else. He was taken by ambulance to Enfield where his parents lived.

John had been held in Changi Prison in Singapore and, on his release weighed just over Five stone. He had been held with one of his colleagues Padre Noel Duckworth, whom he had met in France and was then transferred to the 5th Norfolks. Little did we know it but Padre Noel would play an important role in our lives.

On the 11th of November 1945 the village of Gaywood celebrated 3 鈥榝irsts鈥�:

St Faiths Church held its first wedding after the war,
It was the first time the church bells had rung since the war had begun and
Padre Noel Duckworth performed his first wedding ceremony.

John and I were married that day. John in a new suit as none of his old clothes, or even his uniform would fit him; and I wore a dress made by my Aunt who was a court dressmaker for Queen Mary. The dress was made from the 10 yards of china white silk brought back by hand from the Far East.

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