Jimmy’s story

This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Jake and Keziah, pupils from Teversham Primary School on behalf of Eileen Lawrence and has been added to the site with her permission. Eileen Lawrence fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I was 17 when the war started. We were bombed every day. My boyfriend was in France in the B.E.F in 1939. Germany invaded France, so the servicemen were told to leave France immediately and managed to escape on the coal barge which could fit had a few men on it. They where going through an Italian submarine base, so the officer said to keep quiet so the submarines wouldn’t blow them up. They arrived in Gibraltar. The officer was so overwhelmed that he shot his gun and because of this, the Gibraltar people had guns trained upon them. Fortunately they were a friendly country and my boyfriend saw the guns and so the British soldiers whipped off their t-shirts to show they where part of the British Army. The people on the island said they were very welcome and they managed to get back to England. When he came back to his house it was completely empty. He didn’t know where my family was.
He picked up a telegram which said “Your son is either a P.O.W or missing or presumed dead”. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t know where I lived. But just then my next door neighbour recognised his face. She took him to where I lived and my mum said he could stay. That night when my family was asleep he proposed to me, and said “Will you marry me?” I didn’t know what to say but I didn’t want to say no! I said you are going to consent with my Mum. She said “yes”. We got married on 14th September 1940.

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