大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People's War site by CSV Storygatherer Ian Hollins on behalf of Joyce Wilton. The story has been added to the site with her permission. And Joyce Wilton fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

Born in Plymouth 24th December 1917 as Joyce Ruth Mary Dawe, I was nearly 22 years old when the war was declared. My boyfriend was a stoker in the Royal Navy based in Plymouth. He was also born in Plymouth. We became engaged in December 1939 and we married on the 2nd November 1940. He served mostly on frigates and they did the Russian convoys. He was torpedoed 3 times but survived each time. At one time the crew were stranded in Murmanse in Russia for 5 months.
I always worked as a shop assistant in many different shops until I was sent during the war to work in the dockyard. I worked in the ships battery shop stripping down the plates from the batteries. As we were working with acid the 6 men and 4 women wore serge overalls and gloves. Once a month we had to go to the surgery for a check up. I was there for about 2 years until I left to have my first and only child.
I was also an A.R.P warden and wore a uniform. I was based in the St Judes area where I have lived all my life doing evening duty. I also remember during the early war days being in the air raid shelter with my family before I got married. Looking out of the door I saw a plane come over from the Plympton /Laira area and watched the bombs leave the plane and fall in the Cattedown area.
My husband served all during the war and was finally invalided out in 1960 after 24 years service. For a short time he worked in Devonport Dockyard. He left the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer (Mechanic) working his way up from a 2nd class stoker. Sadly he died in 1969 nearly 52 years old. After being a widow for 5 years I met by chance an old boyfriend who was himself a widower and we married in 1976. Unfortunately he too has since passed away and I have been a widow now for 13 years.

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