大象传媒

"Careless Talk can cost Lives"

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jenny Christian of the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library on behalf of John and Sheila Walker and has been added to the site with their permission. The authors fully understand the site's terms and conditions.

The brief story of John and Sheila Walker, who live in New Costessey, Norwich, Norfolk, both now in their eighties and who didn鈥檛 share pillow talk about their activities in the War when they met and married.

John was a Sergeant in 9th Battalion 6th Airborne Division based at Bulfort Camp on Salisbury Plain. Sheila worked in the Royal Army Service Corps. They met at a dance; John's mates had dared him to take a lady home. Sheila recalls how she was with two other girls and John chose her although her back had been turned and he didn't even know what she looked like!

They fell in love after meeting and got married in 1946. It wasn't until almost two years afterwards when they were making a rug together at home that Sheila let slip the word Overlord. John looked surprised; he had been working on Operation Overlord and hadn't told Sheila because of the importance of secrecy. Unbeknown to John, Sheila had also been involved with Operation Overlord and had never told him because of secrecy!
They can both laugh about this now, having each kept a secret from one another when they first married for over two years. In 2004 John and Sheila will be celebrating 58 years of marriage.

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