Meeting my future wife

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/BBC Radio Nottingham on behalf of Mr Bert Brown with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

Before we went out abroad to fight we were staying in a hosiery factory in Nottingham. My friend had a wife in Leicester, I used to say to him do you want to go and see your wife today? He was a bit quiet, he’d say “we can’t go we’re not allowed” but I’d say “come on lets go AWOL”. We’d get down from Shakespeare Street to Trent Bridge then we’d get a lift to the A46 and onto Leicester. They’d meet up then I’d meet them in the local pub after and we’d come back, so I met her a few times.
He was sent out abroad but I wasn’t going yet, before he went he said “I don’t think I’m going to make it through this” I said he would, he’d be coming back ok. But he said if he didn’t would I go and see his wife.
He died when he was out there and when I came back I was visiting the family of my ex fiancé (she’d met someone during the war but we were still friendly) and they lived just down the road from this woman.
One night we were heading down to the social club / pub and we passed her house so I knocked on the door and let them go on without me.
I saw her a few times and in the end we got married.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.