From Munitions to Marriage - by Maude Campbell

This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Justine Warwick on behalf of Maude Campbell and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

I went to live in Leeds and work in the munitions factory. We had a great time, me and my friends. We used to go out and enjoy ourselves, dancing mainly. I went to live with my friend’s auntie in Leeds and travelled to the factory every day.
One time I came home to Hull and visited my friend. Her brother was in the corner of the room reading the paper — upside down! Her family always said he was very shy. He went into the army shortly after this and started to write to me. He told me he’d been hiding behind the paper and was to shy to talk to me.
He came home two months later and asked if I’d received a letter he’d sent. I said I’d had two letters. He asked me if there was anything in the letters. “Not especially” I said, “but they were very nice”. It turned out he’d asked me to marry him in a third letter I never received — his dad told me! So there we were, engaged!
We worked together and he slowly stopped being so shy. We got married just before the war ended and lived with his mum. We later had a daughter, and we now have two grandchildren!

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