HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-07-19, Page 5Local
War weddings posed problems
cont. from page three
crushed so up on deck to take
my chances with the sea while
lying under a truck lashed
down on deck. Good old
Sparks (the ship's wireless
man) told us that a Liberty ship
had broken in two behind us.
You never really know if these
fellows were pulling your leg
or telling the truth.
Back in Italy I. heard the
rumour that a scheme had been
set up to send back to Canada
any people who had been over-
seas for three years or more. I
was about three years and eight
months at the time. The author-
iUes realized• that the war was
going our way at the time and
it would be highly advisable to
get rid of some of the expend-
able ones and prepare for the
big bulk later. My group was
no longer really needed as this
was November 1944.
Sure enough a Canadian
officer came around to me to
say that I would be in England
on Dec. 5 headed for Canada.
That's when our marriage plans
really started.
Letter off to Dinah to tell her
the news and ask if she was
still willing to marry me. Letter
back to say Yes and the news
that she had just been put on a
draft for India. Immediately I
wrote -to her Commanding
Officer explaining the situation
and asking him to take- her off
the draft: He did.
Next I arrived in Portsmouth
and over to Bournemouth for
dekiting and the issuance of
Airforce Blue uniform. Dinah
had come down from Somerset
to meet me and we went to see
my new C.O. for marriage per-
mission and the Padre for.
marriage guidance. He had to
send a telegram to Scaforth to
ask Father Hussey if there was
any impediment to me geeing
married. Then up to London to
sec the head R.C. padre and
while there a telegram came in
from Seaforth. to say that there
weren't any impediments for
me.
Incidentally, while at
Bournemouth we ran into Van
Bell from home and took us
out for dinner. He had always
been a good friend of mine and
We had played on many teams
together so it was sad to think
that he lost his life about a
week later when his plane
crashed in Belgium. There are
so many passing parades in
life.
Dinah had asked for two
weeks compassionate leave so
we headed for York to tell her
folks and make arrangements
there. They were not surprised
because Dinah had already told
them and my letters too had
made them wonder:
I said to Dinah "What Cath-
olic Church would you like to
"You never knew if
these fellows were
pulling your leg..."
be married in?" She said "The
Church of the English Martyrs
is a nice new one." I didn't
know anything about York. Off
we went to see the priest there
and we were getting along fine
until he asked Dinah where she
lived. She said her people lived
in Fulford which is the same to
York as Egmondville is to
Seaforth. "I'm sorry, you are -
outside my parish, you'll have
to go over to St. George
church." It was an older church
inside the old walls of York
and the famous 1600 century
Highwayman "Turpin" is
buried in its cemetery. All went
well there with plans and then
we went to the city clerk for a
five day license. All O.K. until
he asked Dinah "Where do
you live?" Fulford. "Sony you
are outside the city _ limits,
you'll have to go out to
Pocklington 13 miles away."
Off I went to Pocklington
while Dinah went on a train to
pick up a cake made by a lady
who used to be a 16 -year-old
nanny when Dinah -was born
and now owned a grocery store
that had all the ingredients for
a cake.
At Pocklington I was told
that I couldn't have the license
for three clear days after the
application date. That was the
day we had made the arrange-
ments for the wedding at 11
o'clock in the morning.
The best man had arrived:
Tom Allester, a Canadian from
Chemainus B.C., who had been
with Dinah and me in Ireland.
He and I stayed at the Railway
Station Hotel.
On Dec. 20, 1944, on a very,
_very foggy day, I was up bright
and early and away on the train
to pick up my license..I hadn't
wakened Tom and when he
came around -to my room and
found me gone he -thought that
I had lost my nerve and
departed. In -the meantime I
was on the train and asked the
people in my compartment if
they would tell me when we
got to Pocklington because you
could hardly see your hand in
.front of your face. I was quick-
ly off the train and waiting for
the Town Clerk to open his.
door. Got the license and
rushed back to York and over
to the church in time for 11
o'clock.
After the wedding we went to
Dinah's home for a reception.
About 15 people there as most
of the relations hadn't been
able to make arrangements
because of the short notice and
gas rationing, etc.- But, in any
case, it was very nice and
afterwards we were' catching
the train for a honeymoon in
Edinburgh.. It was so foggy the
taxis, wouldn't come out so
Dinah's father drove us very,
very slowly watching the cat's
eyes (large pieces of round
glass imbedded in the road)
until we got to the station.
Here it was a full house on the
train and we had to sit on our
suitcases in the corridor for 30
miles before we could get a
seat in a compartment.
We booked into the Station
Hotel in Edinburgh - spent a
couple of days there looking
around the city and then back
on the train to York to spend
Christmas with Dinah's folks.
Dinah's leave was almost fin-
ished so we struck off for
southern England, stopped near
Salsibury to go out and see
Stonehenge and next morning
headed to Somerton and
Dinah's report to her station. I
immediately went north to the
repatriation depot at
Warrington in Lanceshirc.
There they told me that they
were putting me on Buckshee
Leave (which meant that 1
wouldn't be paid), gave me a
ration card and suggested that I
go back near my wife and wait
for her to get -her discharge
from the Navy. -
Down I went to Somerton
and booked into a couple of
rooms over the White Hart
Pub. Dinah had permission to
stay with me at night- and in
the morning report back to the
Navy on her bicycle. Dinah
couldn't get her discharge from
the Navy until I had my pass-
age home. I couldn't get rriy
passage home until she had her
discharge from. the Navy! This
was an impasse that went on
for three months. I put in time
by. doing crossword puzzles,
sitting on fence gates watching
the people go by, walking
around the countryside and
sitting on a bench on the Main
Street, _ reading every bit of
news several times because
those wartime papers had about
four pages. The old Publican
was a nice old fellow, fat and
jolly and I offered to dig his
garden for his potatoes. He was
very explicit how it should be
done and the whole garden was
about the size of my complete
front lawn. You did a trench
the width of the garden, care-
fully putting each shovel full of
earth on the side of the trench
away from you. Then put
manure in the trench and I
think the potatoes spaced apart
before putting the soil back
overthe trench. Or did you
cover the manure first and dig
a hole for the potatoes after-
wards? I'm afraid that I don't
-remember.
see God, page 12
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, July 19, 1995-5
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