My Grandmother only hooked up with my Grandad because her boyfriend went to fight in WW2 so she ditched her boyfriend and hooked up with my Grandad Joe instead. A practical woman.
She sounds very pragmatic. No, my grandmother lived in Alexandria and he was based there when they met.
I remember when I was child in the 60s, there were a whole community of older ladies at our parish church who were all Miss Whatever. I realise now that they all must have lost sweethearts in WWI and never married.
Or some of them never wanted to marry in the first place or some of them were into other women instead I expect on top of that.
My mother's Aunt Ruth was engaged and lost her fiance in WW 1. She never married. Instead she taught highschool Spanish and Latin and traveled a lot to South America for missionary work in the summers.
I went to a talk a few years ago now and apparently there were more women than men even before WWI but that just made thing even worse.
Have you tried the 1939 register? It was like a census taking at the beginning of the war. It wouldn’t show you a picture but it might tell you something.
Yes, thanks for the suggestion I've got a fair bit of information on her family and her death was some sort of brain hemorrage but I'm not sure whether it was due to a bomb that fell near the house or just a medical condition. Her family seemed quite musical, not sure if Dad was but I'm anything but!
Sounds similar to me. My grandmother was married to someone who was killed in North Africa. She went on a holiday to Blackpool and met my Polish grandfather (there was large depot for Polish airmen there). Two or three years later my dad was born.
Do you have any Polish traditions? We still have a Polish Christmas Eve supper even though he’s no longer with us. It’s a lot easier now Sainsburys sell pierogies.
The old ladies I knew were all involved with the church and good works. They all wore their hats inside as well, which was very old fashioned by the 60s. I wish so much I could go back and speak to them and hear their stories.
We don't, unfortunately. My grandfather died before I was born and my dad has never bothered with any traditions. He didn't even have contact with any our Polish relatives, although I do now.
That’s a shame. It good you’re in contact with your relatives now. If you do fancy trying something Polish (or anyone else reading) I do recommend the aforementioned pierogies, the potato and cheese are the best (the pictures are the clue but they usually have English on the back (we don’t speak Polish).
Never tried pierogi, just Polish meat and beer (and vodka, of course). I'll check out my local Sainsbury's.
I found this in an article today.
As a teen my mother started nursing and according to my sister , who seems to have these remarkable tales in endless supply about my family , according to her when she started nursing (she later became a matron and could be quite the intimidating lady if needed) there was a young man very ill on one ward who she doted on and they were in love by all accounts. Tragically this young man died in the hospital and she met my father. The less of which said , the better but there you are.
