大象传媒

This account is to pay tribute to the courage and fortitude shown by our mother during World War 2 who never gave up hope that her husband would return. She was born in Thornton Heath in Surrey and was adopted so we knew little about her birth family. She worked as a shop assistant in Croydon and they married in 1937. They moved to Croxley Green near Watford, Hertfordshire as Dad had taken up a job there as store salesman in Burton Taylors.

Mum joined the Womens鈥� Land Army in 1942 because it gave her a sense of purpose intrying to help the war effort, and it provided a means of trying to distract her from her anxieties about her husband. She told us children ( Peter born 1947, Christine 1949 and Rosemary 1951) about some of the jobs she did including helping in the harvest. This involved collecting the stalks of corn to make into 鈥渟tukes鈥� which would be used for winter fodder for farm animals. Large rats would run about the field which frightened her. She also helped to dig root crops such as potatoes or swedes, and picked cherries in orchards in Croxley Green. Mum found the work very hard but she enjoyed the companionship with the other women. She was paid one shilling (now 5p) per hour, and had to give up the work on medical advice because it exacerbated her rheumatism.

Dad was taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore in the Far East on Mum鈥檚 29th birthday.He had sent her a birthday greetings telegram from Singapore, so she knew he was there and alive on this date, but she then had to wait another seventeen months before she heard any more about him.

During the remainder of the war our parents were able to keep in touch by letters, postcards and telegrams, and some of Mum鈥檚 have survived. Nineteen of them were brought back by our father. They relied on the British Red Cross and the Order of St John, who set up a war department in London to try to facilitate correspondence getting to overseas POWs, although not all reached their destination. Letters were limited in length and frequency and were stamped by the Japanese guards indicating that they had been censored. Underneath the dates of the letters Dad has written the dates he received them - generally one year to eighteen months later. They are full of loving thoughts and concern about his welfare, and telling him not to worry about her.

On 11 July 1943 she wrote 鈥� I am feeling one of the happiest people in the world for I received my first postcard from you telling me the wonderful news that you are safe and well. How I thank God dearest鈥�. Dad did not receive this letter until 3 February 1945.

The Red Cross also organised monthly meetings in Rickmansworth for wives of POWs, to try to keep them informed of any news about their loved ones. Mum found these some help and used to attend with her neighbour Mrs Pope, whose husband Jim had joined up at the same time as Dad. They were together in Thailand.

On 27 September 1944 she attended a service in St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral where prayers were said for those who were in captivity in the Far East. When the war against Japan ended on 15 August 1945 Mum was able to send letters more frequently and on 22 August 1945 she wrote 鈥� By the time you receive this you will be in safe hands and receiving the very best of food and attention that you all so badly need鈥�.

It wasn鈥檛 until10 September 1945 that she received official notification from the War Office that he had been freed. She was now able to write much more frequent letters telling of her love and excitement at the thought of him returning after four years away and she becomes increasingly impatient. However, it is not all good news at this time as in one of the letters from Dad he tells her of Mr Pope鈥檚 recent death in the camp. Mum took the very difficult decision to tell her friend of her husband鈥檚 death, rather than wait for her to hear officially through the War Office.

Our parents were finally re united at the end of October 1945 after a four year separation. How did they survive when many did not ?

Firstly they had a deep and enduring love for each other. Secondly they both had a strong Christian faith which gave them hope for the future. Dad was able to attend regular services even in the POW camp. Thirdly, they had good friends and supportive families and every one else was experiencing similar difficulties and hardships during the war. Finally, the fact they were able to keep in touch by letters was also very important.

Like Dad, Mum also found it difficult to adjust after the war. She also felt angry and bitter towards the Japanese because of the way they had treated him and was never able to forgive them. She also felt bitter that they were never able to own their own their own home, but had to keep paying rent with nothing to show at the end, and this contributed to their financial worries.

Dad was told that because of the lack of adequate food or medical care it was unlikely former POWs would be able to have children, but in fact this was not a problem and they were able to have the children they wanted.

Mum stayed at home to look after us but later she worked as a much loved 鈥渄inner lady鈥� at Little Green School, Croxley Green for 15 years. She worked there until she retired and was very happy.

She was also very happy when she became a grandparent, and was the devoted 鈥淣anny鈥� to her five grandchildren 鈥� Jackie, Wendy, Stuart, Andrew and James. She loved having them to stay. We all felt very sad that this period of her life was so happy, yet was cut short by a stroke just before her 69th birthday.

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