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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Potteries War Bride

by newcastle-staffs-lib

Contributed by听
newcastle-staffs-lib
People in story:听
Dorothy and George
Location of story:听
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Background to story:听
Civilian
Article ID:听
A3662075
Contributed on:听
14 February 2005

Before the war, Dorothy had a blind date with a soldier, and after 3 weeks they became engaged. During a month's leave from Italy, Dorothy challenged George to marry her. George asked his sisiter how he could get a special licence just 4 days before the end of his leave, and she took him to Lichfield, where the Bishop gave him the special licence.
Dorothy then had first to approach the Rector of Newcastle, and then the Vicar, before wedding arrangements could be made.
Her wedding dress was borrowed from a friend at the Birmingham munitions factory, where Dorothy worked a capstan lathe in the engineering section. Although she came home at weekends, this was a miserable time .
George had joined up in 1939, was involved in the invasion of Scicily and later at the Battle of Monte Casino, from where he was moved to Trieste. He returned to marry Dorothy, and had to go back to Trieste the following day.
Dorothy paid 拢14/13 shillings for her wedding flowers, and both she and George had to fetch the beer for the reception from the pub across the road.
Back in her work routine, Dorothy remembers the Anderson shelters, where creepy crawlies were more worrying than the bombs, because "there was soil behind the metal walls", and friends, one of whom used to sing and dance with American soldiers she met in pubs.
Nowadays, when Dorothy sees her sitting in the town, she teases her, asking if she's still waiting for the Yanks.
When George was de-mobbed in 1946 Dorothy was print making at Spode's pottery factory, and George found a job as fireman in the kilns.

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Love in Wartime Category
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