I met Frances in 1966 on a "Blind date" arranged by her uncle Ron who lived at number One Waltham Avenue, Guildford. I was 19 she was 16. He was not a real uncle but her father's war time Navy friend. The place, "The Cafe Royal" in London. She lived in Littlehampton and I was a Cub leader and Ron's son was in the pack.
Three years later after a remote courtship we married. When we met I was an apprentice she was at school. She should have carried on at school to do A levels but instead worked at the tax office in Bognor.
When we married I was working shifts in the wind tunnel workshop and she had to find a new job. They were good times, we set up home in Farncombe in a 1936 three bedroom detached house we bought for £3,800. We had new furniture bought with our savings and new cooker and fridge as wedding presents . I was earning £25 per week. The house needed some work but as we could move in a month before the wedding we did a bit of decorating, it was at least presentable, oh but no bed, I had yet to make that.
In the summer of that year I installed the central heating my first big DIY job helped by my friend Graham Smith. The kitchen needed some work and to make it a bit bigger I took down the chimney stack outside and the chimney breast in the kitchen. As any householder knows there is always something to do; build a wardrobe, build a shed sort out the garden ....
I was still going to college one day a week plus night school. It was still good though. I was still keen to get on and in 1971 I started a maths degree course with the OU In June that year I left BAC and joined Gervase Instruments in Cranleigh no shift work and then no OU as the new work was very demanding.
I was the first of my friends to get married and we enjoyed friends visiting; Tony and Graham were frequent visitors. And there was Les. Tony, Les and I worked in the wind tunnel so we would speak at work about things to do at the weekend. Les liked driving, to me long distances, a day trip to Warwick castle or to Bristol to see SS Great Britain come in, he took in his stride. Whereas for me it was a long day.
The three of us would go and it was good, may be the shift work made me tired I can't remember. Les helped with my DIY he was good at many things.
Did we grow apart I did not think so.
In 1973 she walked out do I blame her? Probably not.
It was a shock when I found out that she had put a block on the mortgage a year before she left, so she was not happy and I did not know, that's the sad thing I did not know and she could not say.
I was 26 years old and keen to set up home and move on in my knowledge. She, I am sure now, wanted more out of life, with no children.
Looking back, those years,The Wind Tunnel, the OU, and working in a small company, set me up for the teaching career I would start five years later and last for the next 26 years.
Would I do the same again? Probably !
Sad but true.
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This page was updated on
27 Oct 2018 by Terry Rawkins