大象传媒

This story has been added to the People's War Site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Newcastle on behalf of Mary Cullum. Mary Cullum fully understands the site's terms and conditions and the story has been added to the site with her permission.

Every time I hear about the war, I hear people talking about the wonderful things, but there was quite a lot of down-side. Some of our friends did not come back, and at our age, 18, we had never come across people dying before, and the ones who did come back were so young.

My husband Harry and I were married on one of these embarkation days in 1943: I was 18 and he was a reluctant hero at 19. We were married at St Mary鈥檚 Cathedral in Newcastle. We were growing up fast in those days. I was quite unaware that we knew so many people: the church was absolutely packed. His three sailor friends, one of whom was the best man, had obtained leave. They were delayed on the way 鈥� one of them fell asleep on the train 鈥� so we didn鈥檛 have a best man. In our church that is not a thing that happens. Ned, who was his manager, was a non-catholic, and he was our terrified best man. When he knelt down he had new shoes on, and the price ticket was stuck firmly on the back, which caused quite a lot of giggling amongst our young friends. He kept saying 鈥渘orth, south, east and west鈥�: he had been told to say that in order to remember how to do the sign of the cross. It was really funny listening to him, and it was audible to nearly everyone. It was very difficult because not everyone was religious, let alone catholic.

When we were preparing for the wedding, it was hilarious because in those days you did not just go into a shop, you had to save coupons, and we begged for it and we stole coupons, we swapped all kinds of things, so that we could get the material to make our own outfits. We borrowed shoes because we did not have enough coupons, and a (?) hat which was the fashion of the day. You could not waste your coupons on a white dress, because you had to have one you could wear on a Sunday as well.

When Harry came home on his embarkation leave, the idea was that I would save the allotment money, so when he came back we would have enough money to pay the deposit for a house. But the weather was not so hot, so he came back on another leave. The result is, I became pregnant, and we had a child just before our first wedding anniversary, which was not planned.

When I went into labour I was taken to the hospital and I was extremely ill. The funny thing is, all those miles away at the same time, Harry had gone to the doctor and said how ill he was, and the doctor said 鈥淚 can bet your wife鈥檚 expecting鈥�. He had some pain which the doctor had never come across before, and he was ill there, and the doctor had said 鈥淵ou can expect word any time now鈥�. I was extremely ill and he was sent on compassionate leave. All the rules went by the board so he could not do this and he could not do that: he got VIP treatment from all sides and all ranks.

Only men were allowed in the maternity wards in those days. So my bewildered Dad was right out of his depth, and he had to stand in for my husband 鈥� not even my Mum was allowed in. They had rules which had to be obeyed in those days. The baby was born before Harry came. When he came everybody was praying for me, they had not lost anybody in childbirth for a long time. With me being so young as well, the hospital and everybody pulled out all their skills and everything, and I was one of the first ones on whom penicillin was used. If it had been used as it is today for a common cold, it probably would not have been effective. This was in 1944. I gave birth to a daughter who I called Anne-Marie, after a French family who was really kind to my husband. They met him at Mass, and every Sunday, with Harry鈥檚 friends as well, they used to go for a meal, and they shared everything with them. I loved their name, so Anne-Marie came on the scene.

It was very difficult when he came home, because I was not used to housework 鈥� I was not that kind of person 鈥� I was the kind who sat on a cushion and sewed a fine seam. I moved into a house with another baby, Joan, and a toddler, and she wanted to go to her real home, which was my Mum鈥檚. But Harry鈥檚 Mum supported me and showed me how to be a housewife, as she lived near. He had to go back to fight, however. I thought he would come straight off, but he took quite a while as they had to wait for embarkation leave. He was supposed to be given a fantastic suit: it was absolutely horrible! It was off the peg, and horrid material, and he looked absolutely ghastly in it.

When we had our golden wedding anniversary we renewed our vows, blessed by both our parishioners. It was quite a new thing that we did, getting married at such a terribly young age, we maybe did not know what we were doing in those days 鈥� so we renewed it. We had a fantastic thing: 鈥淭his is your life鈥�, arranged by our three children and five grandchildren, and the two parishes came together. Harry was a pianist and he used to go into all the French pubs and play, and all of his friends got free beer. Before he died he was a pianist in the hospice.

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