Visiting the Isle of Wight

In the summer of 1940 my sister and I together with an aunt and uncle, decided to visit another aunt who lived on the Isle of Wight. When we were about to board the ferry at Portsmouth, we were told that, although we could cross to Ryde, my sister and I would not be allowed to land on the Island. This restriction did not apply to my aunt and uncle.

The reason given was that my uncle and aunt were going to see a sister, whereas my sister and I, being nieces, were not considered to be close enough relatives. Such were the restrictions of travel during the war.

Some days later we received a letter from the War Office stating that our attempt to land on the Isle of Wight was a breach of regulations and cautioned us not to attempt anything similiar!

Why two teenagers were considered more dangerous than an aunt and uncle seemed puzzling. In hindsight, the threat of invasion was very real at that time, and any attempt to contravene the rules, was pounced upon.

The war continued for another five years, by which time I had moved house and was engaged in war work, then followed the very bleak period of post war Britain. I never did get to see that particular aunt as she died in the 1950s.

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