Family Notes

Married at St. Anne's, Stanley, Liverpool.

Some text from Mollie:
I MET KEN EARLY IN 1940.  THE SECOND WORLD WAR STARTED ON SEPT. 1939.  I WAS AT THAT TIME EMPLOYED AS MANAGERESS BY A MR. FERENSIDE IN HIS SHOP AT CHILDWALL FIVE WAYS.  THE SHOP WAS A SWEETS, TOBACCO AND NEWSAGENT.

KEN WAS STATIONED WITH THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT ON THE CHILDWALL ESTATE (THE SHOP AFTER THE WAR WAS BOUGHT BY THE BANK WHICH WAS NEXT DOOR TO THE SHOP).  THE SOLDIERS, OF WHICHEVER REGIMENT STATIONED THERE WOULD FREQUENT THE SHOP.  KEN OF COURSE WAS ONE OF THEM.  AT THE TIME HE HAD A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER (was fed up – sic.ed).  HE HAD, BY ALL ACCOUNT, JUST RETURNED TO THE UNIT AFTER A MONTH OF DETENTION IN THE ARMY DETENTION BARRACKS AT SHEPTON MALLET IN SOMERSET.

THE STORY GOES THAT AS A BATMAN/DRIVER FOR ONE OF THE OFFICERS AND HAD CHARGE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE.  A SOLDIER IN THE SAME HUT AS KEN WAS EXPECTING HIS WIFE TO ARRIVE AT LIME STREET STATION, PLUS BAGGAGE ETC.  AND HE ASKED KEN IF THEY COULD USE THE VEHICLE TO MEET HER.  THEY MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT THIS WAS AN OFFENCE AGAINST ARMY RULES TO DO THIS.

DURING THE RETURN FROM LIME STREET STATION THE VEHICLE RAN OUT OF PETROL.  KEN PHONED THE BARRACKS AND THE 'RED CAPS' ARMY POLICE ARRIVED AND KEN WAS PUT ON A 'CHARGE' A CHARGE MORE SERIOUS BECAUSE HE HAD LEFT HIS RIFLE IN THE LOCKED VEHICLE.  NEVER-THE-LESS, ON HIS RETURN TO HIS UNIT HE STILL HAD THE BATMAN/DRIVER JOB.

BEFORE THE COMPANY MOVED FROM LIVERPOOL TO BARRACKS IN SURREY/HAMPSHIRE KEN WAS OFTEN AT THE HOUSE WHERE I LIVED IN DAVIDSON ROAD, OLD SWAN.

ONE DAY A SERGEANT MAJOR ARRIVED AT THE HOUSE.  KEN HAD BEEN CONFINED TO BARRACKS, THE CAR USED BY KEN FOR HIS OFFICER AND FOR COLLECTING POST ETC.  HAD BEEN MISSING THE EVENING PREVIOUS AND KEN HAD BEEN QUESTIONED HE HAD SAID THE HE HAD BEEN AT OUR HOUSE (ON FOOT) HAVING WALKED ME HOME FROM MY WORK AT THE SHOP.  MY FATHER HAD TO VOUCH THAT THIS WAS TRUE.  THEN MY FATHER TOLD KEN THAT HE WAS NEVER TO ARRIVE AT OUR HOUSE OTHER THAN ON FOOT OR BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

KEN HAD TOLD THE TRUTH AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS EVER FOUND OUT WHO HAD USED THE CAR.

AFTER KEN LEFT LIVERPOOL WE KEPT IN TOUCH AND HE SPENT HIS ARMY LEAVE'S WITH MYSELF AND FAMILY IN LIVERPOOL.  IN MARCH 1942 WE MARRIED IN ST.  ANNES CHURCH, STANLEY, LIVERPOOL.  OUR WARTIME HONEYMOON WAS SPENT IN LLANDUDNO, NORTH WALES.  KEN HAD BEEN GIVEN THREE WEEKS LEAVE BECAUSE WHILE ON DUTY HE HAD A FALL, WHICH HAD CAUSED A BROKEN COLLARBONE.

I RETURNED TO WORK AND KEN BACK TO HIS UNIT WHICH WAS THEN AT BROADSTAIRS KENT.  I WAS THEN WORKING AT THE R.O.F. FACTORY IN THE 'REGISTRY' DEPT.  WHICH I WILL WRITE OF LATER.  WHILE KEN WAS STATIONED AT BROADSTAIRS HE TOOK ILL AND WAS IN HOSPITAL FOR SOME WEEKS SUFFERING WITH A DUODENAL ULCER WHICH LED TO HIS ARMY DISCHARGE.  THIS WAS IN SEPTEMBER 1943.

KEITH HAD BEEN BORN IN DECEMBER 1942 WHILE I WAS LIVING WITH MY PARENTS IN DAVIDSON ROAD.