Rose Remembers

Rose Palmer

Marysia Lachowicz

I can't marry you, I've only got 10 coupons and I want a white wedding!

By Rose Palmer

My husband was stationed at Pwllheli, Wales. He was being trained for the navy. He phoned me up on his first leave and asked me to marry him. I said, “I can’t I’ve only got ten coupons and I want a white wedding!” As we were talking the operator came through and said, “You must terminate your call.” I said, “Oh please don’t, this is most important.” So he asks, “Well are you going to marry him or aren’t you?” I said, “Well…Well yes, but I’ve only got ten coupons.” So he asks, “But do you love him?” “Of course I love him” I reply, so he says, “Well what are you waiting for?” “This has nothing to do with you, drop the line!” was my response[laughs]

So we decided to marry and my parents were evacuated to Witham in Essex. Everyone came up to our mews flat because our house had been bombed. I had nothing, we only had the clothes that we stood up in … I was working in a little boutique shop, and I made myself this lovely dress and jacket and a hat with two bird feathers. My mother said, “My God, it’ll never last! Birds on your hat is unlucky!” But we were married for 48 years. [laughs]

We were going to get married in Westminster Cathedral, that was our local church. We made friends with this Polish airman who we had been very kind to. We shared our rations with him; he said he was going to take our photos for our wedding present. So we all stood and posed on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, all proud of our big photos that we were going to get and not one came out because he had no film in the camera. And I never got my wedding present. [laughs]