大象传媒

Esther Greene

鈥淭he People鈥檚 War鈥�

My late husband and I served in the forces during the Second World War. I joined the W.R.N.S. in 1943 and my husband joined the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1940. Our paths crossed when we met in Brussels in 1945.

After serving at Portland Naval Base in Dorset from 1943-1944, and having volunteered for overseas service on joining the W.R.N.S., I was sent to France 鈥� the first group of W.R.N.S. to do so, arriving at Arrowmanches on the 15th August 1944. My late husband, who was commissioned at this time, arrived on Sword Beach on D-Day. and was later wounded near Cambes outside of Caen. I did not know him at that time. After our meeting in 1945 鈥� not long after I had arrived in Brussels with a section of the W.R.N.S., we met quite often until March 1945 when he left with a short note which just said 鈥渉ad to leave.鈥� This was for the 鈥淏attle of the Rhine鈥� but security was paramount so I did not know the reason until later. Thankfully he survived this battle, and one wonderful day he arrived where I was working looking for me. He had been posted to Malines outside of Brussels, and we met very often for three months until I was sent back to England. We became engaged in St. James Park, London, in September 1945 and were married in 1946 in Walton-on-Thames where my family lived.

After demobilisation of us both in 1946 we set up house in England and my husband obtained work in the Aircraft Industry, eventually training by part-time study in England and Northern Ireland to become a professional Aeronautical Engineer. We lived in Canada America and Northern Ireland where my husband progressed in his career. We had 4 children. My husband died in August 1998.

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