learChristine Hutchinson, collected by Hope Valley u3a
Reminiscences My Father might have written
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It was time to return to my ship. It had been good to have an unexpected few days with Elsie, my wife, and her family. They all lived in a small house in Hutton Henry, although they missed their larger house in Hartlepool, where they had lived for quite a long time. I was glad that I had encouraged them to move away from the danger of bombing which targeted the docks and ship building. They had returned to the village from where the family originated. My wife’s sister, Sally and her family lived next door and Sally’s war-time job was delivering the orders for Walter Wilson’s grocery store to all the surrounding villages, driving a horse and trap. |
We had married in 1937 so war issues had been around much of our married life. The silk stockings, underwear and nightdresses which I had brought back from my journeys had been good presents for Elsie and the envy of her nieces! She was pleased that she did not need to draw lines down the back of her legs to look like stocking seams. I would have liked us to have had our own house but Elsie enjoyed giving support to her parents and liked their company when I was away for long periods.
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It was a sad time for the family. Elsie’s sister, Winnie, had died with two of her children when their air raid shelter suffered a direct hit in Middlesbrough. Her husband had a most miraculous escape. He had stayed in bed as he had influenza so when the bomb blast took off the side of the house, he was catapulted onto the street. It was a traumatic homecoming for their eldest son, only sixteen years old, when he returned from his first night with the Home Guard on the hills above the town. There I was, now back in uniform, Lieutenant Commander R.N.V.R., leaving Hutton Henry in County Durham, travelling 10 miles to Durham railway station in a taxi on a dark night. I had to catch a train to return to my ship which had been in dock a few days for repairs. The weather was very poor and becoming worse and there was not even a moon. Visibility was like trying to see through pea soup! The slit headlights of the car threw out only a glimmer of light so when the driver slowed almost to a stop it seemed that the best and fastest thing to do was to walk in front to show him the way! I walked in front of the taxi for almost two miles until we started to go down off the Durham plateau and the weather improved a little.
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The train was full of servicemen and it was time to think of the job ahead of me. My experience in the Merchant Navy had led to my work in the R.N.V.R. escorting merchant ships, including some to Russia and to the U.S.A. There were some tense and cold moments. There is no-one I can really share these memories with as no-one understands who was not there.
Anti-submarine booms on deck 
Close up of anti-submarine booms, possibly Faulklands
Next, I trained in planning and organising anti-submarine booms and defence systems and worked on patrols around the Falkland Islands and Western Scotland setting up protection systems for harbours.
I have never talked much about war-time responsibilities – just did the job as well as possible and hoped everyone was safe at home.