a wedding in the blitz

Having had a phone call from Harry, somewhere in England, on 25 August 1944 to say that he had a short leave and if possible wanted to get married if I could arrange things in time before he was due back to duty in a week’s time. He was expecting to be sent overseas and that really got me weaving after waiting eighteen months since we got engaged on 31 January 1942 prior to him going off to Canada to train as a Pilot. This request was put into motion the moment I put the phone down as I was at work and of course the first thing was to ask my boss for some holiday leave granting me a week or so. It was a Saturday so I had that week-end to get started straight away before Harry came home midweek, and organise what I could without him. Fortunately I had previously ordered a suit to be made at a tailors in Chiswick with some material I had hoarded in a drawer for years. Remember clothing and food was strictly rationed, so it came in very useful at this particular time and the tailor gave it special priority and made it in time for it to become my going away suit for my honeymoon. In spite of it being black in colour it was smart nevertheless. Relatives and Friends were brilliant and rallied around to help wherever possible. Presents of rationed food were given to an Uncle who was a Baker and he had a tiered wedding cake cooking even before I returned to him with the treasured ingredients my Mother could muster up from her own larder. An Off-Licencee I used to call into and sit on his counter discussing dancing and the Theatre that he loved so much, saw me returning from my Uncle’s and recognising me from my childhood days (this was a few years later having moved away from the district) called me into his shop, and when I mentioned why I had come back there he wanted to hear all my news. He then wrapped up two bottles of Spirits as a Wedding gift - it was like giving me Gold dust at that time. A Neighbour gave me a dozen Eggs to help towards the reception meal. A Friend I worked with took two days off work to help her mother to make two Bridesmaids dresses and their flower sheaths to go with them. My Father and brothers’ had forfeitied their clothing coupons - if they even knew they existed!

My wedding dress was easier as I had already got part of it, having chosen white net for an all Ladies Formation Dancing Team we had Formed at our Dance School. We were very short of men who were mostly away in the Services fighting the war, or working longer hours on different shifts. We all tried to do voluntary work, or we were forced from circumstances to do, because of Air Raids or disrupted travel etc. Like on the Sunday when I travelled from my Home in Heston to the other side of London to the Market in the East End - Middlesex St - where earlier I had procured my Net and they were able to supply me with some White Silk Lace and without treasured up coupons. I was delighted that my journey had been fruitful although not without a few anxious moments when the Air Raid Sirens sounded and the Wardens insisted I went down into the shelters until the all clear siren sounded and I was able to carry on shopping etc etc .and start my journey back home to my Sunday dinner which my dear Mum had saved for me only to be eaten in our dug out Air raid shelter in the garden with Doodle bugs hovering over our heads doing their best to disrupt a quiet lunch.

These raids one got quite used to eventually and mostly we folk went about our usual activities not letting Hitler get his way and deter us and break down our spirits. In fact it always seemed to have the opposite effect and spurred us all on to help each other in whatever small way we could, especially thinking of all those away from home in the services or Civilian families in worse off situations. It certainly sorted out one’s sense of values - but to get back to my main topic, - Wedding arrangements! I had to start contacting Family and friends, also the Vicar regarding the big Day and give times to be able to inform guests who might come and share in our celebrations. Even to find my future Parents in law were away on holiday when I spent half a day travelling to tell them of the happenings going on, but their neighbours, four spinsters living together, invited me into tea and showed their delight fussing all over me when I said why I was making the visit and wanting to know more details of our intentions. Quite sweet really, however I had lots more to get sorted and contacts to be made regarding the venue for the reception. This turned out to be a big difficulty as it could not be attained at such short notice so once again our lovely neighbours came into the fore and both our Dining rooms were set up similarly with connecting gardens opened up allowing everybody to have freedom to mix and come and go as they pleased. It actually worked well with no inhibitions and folk seemed to feel more intimacy and a cosy homely feel about it all.

Despite only having one week to arrange my wedding, I managed to have everything! My brother George who was serving in the army out in Italy at the time, sent a message home insisting I was to have the bells to sound at the church and the choir. In both cases they were in short measure but still as meaningful and appreciated, but somewhat overshadowed by the heavy rainfall rushing down the stained glass windows above the Altar.

Certain things we had to go about doing together such as getting the Archbishop of Canterbury’s permission for a special licence to be married in church within the week instead of the minimum of three consecutive weeks of notice when the Banns are normally read out the preceeding weeks, which meant another trip up to the Capital to Broad Sanctuary to obtain a Special Licence which was at a reduced cost because Harry was a Serving Member of His Majesty`s Royal Air Force. Having acquired this we then pressed on to buy another important item - the wedding ring - of which, once again, you had little choice, but as before, a friend of my Sister recommended us to a certain Jeweller who had a piece of Platinum in its raw looking state and after measuring my finger, made up the Ring which I am still wearing today 61 years later. The ring was not completely finished and had to be returned later to him to be engraved and polished etc; and hence dispelling any superstitions I was likely to have.

On the day, 2 September 1944, in spite of the weather as it seemed whilst at the ceremony as if the heavens had opened up raining heavily but thank God cleared later to allow a few photos to be taken by tea time before Harry and I left for a short honeymoon that he had managed to book at Maidenhead. Here once again we were thoroughly spoilt and somehow they found out we were just married and each morning brought breakfast to us on a huge tray to be eaten in bed having been plonked on our laps and, of course with a great deal of teasing and humour - something my Husband was never short of, giving back to the Staff which they in turn loved him for, and did their best to make sure we spent the rest of what we thought to be our short leave together as happily as we could. We did not know quite when we would be able to be together again.

We arrived back home to find Harry had been given an extension of leave . What a surprise that news gave us! I cannot think now why, or for what reason this all came about, but it gave me time to get back to work and almost on bended knees arrange more leave. Harry lifted the telephone beforehand just saying that I would not be returning back to the office until he left UK shores because I would be travelling around with him until then. My job was pretty safe, that I knew, as it came under the Essential Works Order, finding out about all that when my friend Daphne, my bridesmaid and I, had Bees in our bonnets to join the W.R.A.F at one stage in time in the Plotting department. On reflection perhaps it was just as well, for the sake of the Pilots! And we were not able to do so chiefly in my case for family reasons. Daphne I think, by then had met Pritch or should I say John, an American who was in the Finance Corp Stationed up in Grosvenor Place, and who went back to the States, to train to be a Pilot too, which altered our ways of thinking, as she obviously wanted to join him over there, which she eventually did. Regrettably we have lost touch over the years possibly like me she may well have moved around as I once had a letter I had sent to her returned and not known at this address written on it . However some of our Americans who used our Pub in Bath in the nineteen seventies and knew the place where her Husband lived, tried also to find out if they could trace them but to no avail. However, who knows even now living as I do here on this lovely Isle of Skye which seems to attract so many of our friends from across the Atlantic we may even be able to make contact again. It’s a thought I never give up on.

Dorothy Shelton, November 05
Isle of Skye

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