Civilian
Heather Taylor of the Women's Land Army with Rick, an airman of the 390th Bomb Group
Heather Taylor of the Women's Land Army and Rick, an airman of the 390th Bomb Group
Heather Taylor of the Women's Land Army with Sam, a Corporal of the 390th Bomb Group, from Brooklyn.
Heather Taylor was a Land Girl. Over the course of her service she had several relations with American servicemen. During her first placement in Halesworth, the farmer's wife disapproved of her American boyfriend 'Michael' and accused Heather of being 'dirty'.
After hearing of the incident her mother wrote to her on 7 October 1942 'I expect their ideas are about 25 year behind London ones, and likely to remain there, but even so, what was the trouble about Michael? So far as we know you went to some dances with him, which was quite an ordinary thing to do.'
Heather was later posted to a farm in Woodbridge, she attended dances at the Anglo-American club in Framingham and struck up a friendship with several airmen of the 390th Bomb Group. Heather was particularly close with an airman called Rick, who features in several photographs she took of her service and at the same time, was also friendly with a Corporal Sam, from Brooklyn.
In December 1946, Heather received a written proposal from an American serviceman named Rodney from Ohio. He wrote: 'Will you marry me and become my wife? Will you become one with me for all the happy days of struggle and of pride, of personal victory and of loss, of warmth and happiness and of love abiding until the last breath.
I have always loved you from the first time I saw you...nor will I ever stop loving you. Say that you love me and that you will be my bride.. I need you Heather, as you need me. Have we not floated through life thus far, seeking, wanting, yearning?
Have we not both been haunted by these months apart by the fond memory of one another?'
Heather, evidently not haunted by the separation, refused Rodneys' proposal. She never married.
Group
The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This...
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force from 1942 to 43, Framlingham was home first to the 95th Bomb Group, before that unit moved to RAF Alconbury. From 1943 to 1945, it was operated by the 390th Bomb Group. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and...
Military site : airfield
Halesworth was constructed in 1942-1943. Initially planned as a bomber airfield, its location close to the Suffolk coast meant that it was in an ideal position to operate escort fighters, where range was a critical factor. Consequently, the 56th...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Streatham, London | |
| Based | Halesworth | 1942 |
|
First placement with the Women's Land Army |
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| Based | Framlingham | 1943 |
|
Second placement with the Women's Land Army |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 November 2016 10:51:05 | Emily | Created entry with surname, firstname, nationality, biography, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
National Army Museum Collection. NAM 2013-01-09, A collection of 150 letters, documents and papers pertaining the Heather Taylor, Women's Land Army NAM 2013-10-01, A collection of 70 photographs belonging to Heather Taylor, Women's Land Army Massie and Parton, < a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xBcTCwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false">Wives and Sweethearts , 2014, National Army Museum |
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