Sent through to the American Air Museum by Yolanda Payne, Audrey and Robert's daughter:



A LOVE STORY



My father met my mother Christmas of 1942. The mayor of Saffron Walden had asked the English mothers to invite American soldiers to share Christmas dinner with local families. My grandparents, Arthur and Nellie Ridgewell, invited three GIs and one of which was my Dad, Gran always joked "Never did I dream one of those Yanks would jitterbug my rug to death and steal my only daughter away". Thus my mom became one of the many war brides of World War II.



My grandparents gave my Dad a key to their home and often would return home to find him napping on their settee. He would sneak rations from the base such as eggs and sugar for Gran's kitchen as she was an excellent cook and supplies were scarce. Dad was a medical assistant to Doc Ballard who was also from North Carolina, and married Doreen Ballard of Saffron Walden. Doreen now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and would also probably share her story. As Doc’s driver Dad could use the jeep to visit Mom but the jeep always had to be hidden from view.



So in the middle of war came love and romance and dances in the Town Hall and the beginning of our family. Mom arrived in New York on the Queen Mary and travelled by train to Sanford, North Carolina where she was met by family. My Dad was the oldest of eight children so my mom went from an only child to having a very large welcoming family.



My English grand-parents became Dad’s family away from home – a very welcome home for a lonely soldier. They were able to secure a winter coat for my Dad in the cold English climate. Mom’s story was one with a happy ending as many brides were not welcomed. Dad’s family is still very close to Mom. Doreen Ballard married Claude Ballard in Saffron Walden and she would like to be included in your history.



AUDREY’S MEMORIES OF ROBERT

My husband volunteered to be in the military. He left from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was part of the Army. He wouldn’t have wanted to be in the Navy, he didn’t like to go sailing. He gave shots with the doctor. He knew England very well as he had to travel around it administering injections to the airmen. Then he volunteered for something else. He was like that, always volunteering. That’s why he wasn’t at any of the great battles I suppose – because he wasn’t there, he was doing something different.



He was from North Carolina, my mother liked him very much, she treated him like a son and my father liked him too.



Life was not pleasant in wartime but my husband made me very happy.



It was Christmas 1944 [1942], GIs were invited to our houses for Christmas, he was a very wonderful man, he asked me to marry him and I said yes.



We were married in the Church of England – at the big church in Saffron Walden. It’s a shame more people don’t attend it now. I was christened there, my husband went along with me, he was a good man, he didn’t say anything about it except that he had never knelt as long in his life, which I thought was very cute.



We were both 20 years old then and we’d both be 90 years old now. He died too young and that was a bad thing. He died at least 20 years ago and I have missed him terribly, more than ever every day.