A Special Event

As a member of the ATS I was stationed in Italy. A friend and I had seven days leave in Rome in January 1945 and we joined a coach trip to the Vatican. My friend Vi and I were the only two girls on the coach and we got lots of attention. As we entered one of the large rooms on our tour around the Vatican the two of us were politely eased through the crowd to the front where there was a rail. We copied those next to us and duly knelt down just as a door to the side opened. The Pope entered from our right and spoke to each person as he passed along.
To me he asked where I was from and I said 'England'. 'What part of England?' he asked. I had already had trouble making someone understand the word 'Wolverhampton'so I said 'Birmingham'.
'Oh, I know Birmingham,' he said. 'Are your parents alive?' 'Yes,' I replied. ' Are they well?' 'Yes thank you.' Then he put one hand on mine, (in which I held two rosaries and a cross purchased earlier in St. Peter's Square)and one hand on my head to say 'God Bless You'. He gently moved on to my friend and I stepped back to let someone else take my place.
He did this once a day apparently and Vi and I felt very lucky to be amongst the few, out of thousands, to be there. I sent the three blessed items to my Catholic friends in Liverpool.

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