大象传媒

Joy was born in Liverpool during 1944. Her father (who had joined the Royal Navy before 1939 and was serving on HMS Warspite) did not want his daughter to suffer unease or to be 'marked' by a smallpox vaccination which, I am told, was compulsory during WW2. He was taken to court and received a 'dressing-down' from the judge/magistrate who said that he, being a much-travelled sailor, should know of the scourge of smallpox.

After paying a fine, Les told his wife, May, that he believed smallpox was highly unlikely to occur in Britain where conditions were so much better than in those countries still suffering from smallpox. Under no circumstances did he want his little girl to suffer the discomfort of a vaccination which he believed would leave an unnecessary scar.

He then went back to sea. By the time he was back in Liverpool, the war was over and I, Joy, his daughter, never did receive the vaccination.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.