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When the war started my mother and father had been married for 3 years. While he waited for his call up papers, they were allocated acording to age.
When he was called up he was sent to a camp in Northumberland for basic training. After a few weeks he was due to be sent abroad. My mother booked a room in a hotel in Coutherstone near to the camp. On the grapevine she found out they were leaving the next morning. Early next day whilst it was still dark she heard the sound of marching comming towards the village. In the early light she stood outside the hotel as the men marched past, she saw Ralph and waved to him. It was the last time she saw him for 4 years.
It was weeks before she received a letter to tell her where the 8th army had sent him. From Coutherstone he had travelled to Liverpool where all the soldiers were put on a ship in the harbour. They were kept on the ship for days to stop them going A.O.L. This was terrifying for the men when the air raids came as they were sitting ducks

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