大象传媒

WHERE DO I BEGIN
CONSTANCE GREGORY (NEE MATTHEWS)
BRISTOL IN THE WRNS.

I was sixteen and a half when the War broke out. War was declared 3rd September 1939, and I was due to make my first broadcast at the 大象传媒 Whiteladies road, Bristol on the 5th September, playing the accordion. I arrived to find all programmes had been cancelled. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe Mr Leslie Bridgmont was the person who auditioned me and engaged me to play. The friend was MR FAJ Harman who was manager at the Empire Theatre (Mr Harman was a Major) decorated on the field WW1 1914-1918. He was a wonderful man, compere, friend and mentor. I used to play at the Empire theatre and various theatres. Sunday concerts were very popular. Mr Harman later transferred to the regal cinema in Torquay, where I played for him in the time I was in the WRNS.

On the 8th September 1939 my younger brother was born, sixteen and a half years between us. I had an older brother a year and a day older than me. He joined the Fleet Air Arm. We were all born at169 Newfoundland road, St. Paul鈥檚 Bristol, where my father and mother opened cycle shops.

After leaving school, I worked at home in the shop and at that time I became a Bristol Wartime entertainer, and played to the troops who were stationed all around Purdon Hullavington (1000) airmen, Corsham- huge underground Bunker for MOD etc. It was fairly secret at the time. Also at this time I went to work at the BAC Filton many artists who worked there were BWE and wonderful they were too. Len May xylophone and vibes (He later joined the Navy) Barry Kendal singer, guitarist, John Savage, jazz violinist, Lionel Carey, drums, musical saw fantastic whistler (he married my friend Pat Smith) Eddie Capey, Barbara Panthin, Barbara Foot, a lovely contralto and many more. Often playing in these camps could be very cold, but after the show we would be entertained to a little buffet in the Officers mess.

At seventeen I met the young man who was to eventually become my husband. We met at the Coliseum ice rink in Park row. He also later worked in the wages office at the BAV Filton-I worked at Rodney works and was there on the day of the big bombing. I understand the R Works took the brunt of the bombing and suffered the most causalities. I was one of the lucky ones who came home. It was very frightening Joan an elder school friend of mine was killed and a young woman who was coming to a friends wedding at the weekend was killed and her friend was injured. There is a large wall plaque and the names of those killed at Filton BAC Rolls Royce.

Around February 1941 band leader, Bobby Williamson persuaded my parents it would be a good idea for to join and experience a musical act called the Seven Elliott鈥檚 whose forebears introduced the saxophone to England from America, they were the Elliott Saronas. I left the BAC and joined them at Ashton 鈥攗nder-Lyne and stayed with them for six months. It was quite hard a different town each week twice-nightly shows, matinee on Saturday, travel Sunday to next town, there was rationing and blackout-bombing in London. There was also rehearsal in between. I left the act in September 1941. I returned home- my parents had moved to Filton we still had the shop, also my father worked on the SS Frome for the PBA. I got a job at the Patchway BAC offices. I stayed there for about 18 months, and then I left to join the WRNS-went to London, Westfield College, Hampstead. I think we were all volunteers in that batch, we were sent to Southsea, it was lovely the sun was shinning and we were drilled on the beach front, much of the beach was covered in barbed wire. I was then drafted to HMS Tormentor, near Southhampton. Our base was all D-Day handling craft mainly LCI and LCB. Two of my friends who left that day PD Arthur Clough and Ken Carpenter were right in the thick of it and Ken Carpenter did not return he was only nineteen. It was tragic-I still see his face now his hair was a lovely sandy/ ginger colour, he was a gentle lad. Arthur told me he died in his arms 鈥攁 piece of shrapnel in his heart. They were buddies.

Aboard ship as they say, we had a concert party of which I was a member, it was called Tormentor Follies we had some pretty good talent at the base including 鈥淏ox and Cox鈥� (Cox being Coolerman) and performed to ships company and at the village hall. My mother came all the way to Warsash bringing my accordion and my younger brother John with her. She stayed a few days and went home.

Oh! I forgot, my father had a ships canvas bag made especially for me just like the sailors of old. I was very proud of this bag at the time; it was edged with ships ropes and eyelets. I still have the knitting bag that was with me on the day the German bombed Filton Aerodrome- it is very dilapidated. I was knitting a white wool vest for my baby brother. We were all very proud that we had Patricia Mountbatton at our base; she became Lady Braebourne and was bride of the year in 1945. She wore a gold dress.

September 23rd 1944 I married my young man Kenneth Gregory he joined the Navy at HMS Raleigh, Portsmouth about 1942. He was sent abroad two weeks after our first baby was born and he came home in 1946. The rest is history.

Another little story....I was a member of the Bristol Accordian Band before the war, our conductor was Handel Lovell who lived at the Fountain, St George. He was a wonderful man, very talented and also my accordian teacher. We entered the All England Championships, came second the first time and then Champions the second time. Quite an achievement really. I can't remember the test piece but our chosen number was Finlandia which was very topical at the time, as the small nation of Finland was fighting the mighty Russian bear. The eyes of the world were on this little nation so heroic they were and they emerged victorious.
About that time I won the Junior Accordian Championships and some of our members went to war. I don't know what happened to them. Handel Lovell composed a number called the Merry Militiamen. I had it at one time - it was quite difficult.

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