Mum and Dad's meeting.

Mum came from Wiltshire and Dad from Norfolk. They joined the forces at the beginning of the war.
Mum was nursing at the time, when she joined the WAAF, and was assigned cook-house duties. (Logical)?
Dad joined the Royal Norfolk Artillery and was, for a while, an Ack-Ack gunner.
They met at Thorney Island, on the south coast and were married in the summer of 1942. I was born in 1944.
Mum's 'claim to fame' was that she was the first WAAF at RAF Beaulieu, in the New Forest. She had been posted to Beaulieu and travelled to Brockenhurst by train. She asked directions to RAF Beaulieu and was told that there was no-such place, however, 'they' were building 'something' in 'that' direction. She set of, on-foot, in 'that' direction and eventually came to a makeshift barrier with an armed RAF sentry. Upon asking if this was RAF Beaulieu she was informed that it wasn't, as yet, but it probably would be, when it was finished. It was just a collection of huts etc. She asked where she would be billeted and was told to take her pick. She then found out that she was the first WAAF on the 'station'.
Mum's wedding dress is at The Imperial War Museum. A few years ago they were asking for wedding dresses, for an exhibition. She offered them her's and eventually donated it to them. (I do have a photo but no-way, at present, of adding it to this story).

Dad died, some years ago and Mum died this May. Amongst their possessions, we found two boxes full of all the letters and cards they had written to each other. Most of which, date from the war years.I picked a few out, at random, to look at. They are a social history, a snap shot, of that time.
It is too soon, following Mum's death, to go through them properly. They are now packed away in my loft.
One day, I must get them out and read them. There must be something I can do with them, that would be a fitting way of creating a memorial to my parents.

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