Wendy, a member the Home Library Service, has shared with us the brilliant story of how she and her husband Ron first met. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Wendy’s Reflections On Her Trip to Farnborough Air Show, 1955.
When my Home Library Volunteer Annie visited us earlier in the year, just before the beginnings of the first COVID Lockdown we got talking about how Ron and I first met. It’s a funny story with a happy ending.
Well here’s how the story begins: On a summer’s morning in July 1955 my mum and I woke up to a rainy overcast day. Never mind, we thought, and were still very excited as we looked forward to a day out together at the Farnborough Air Show.
We’d been to the Air show several times before and the outing was always the high spot of our summer. The tickets had been bought and our seats on the coach booked. We were determined that the weather would not spoil our day. I was just 17 years old.
We lived in Bath and made our way to the coach pick up point at Avon Street. The coach arrived and Mum and I grabbed the best seats in the coach – the two front seats of course! This was very much to the disappointment of the two young men who got on after us.
Ron and his mate Ray had to sit on the seats behind us much to their disgust!
Halfway to Farnborough the coach stopped at Andover to make a routine passenger pick up. During the journey Ron and Ray had been chatting to us and Ron became quite solicitous noticing that I was gradually turning a worrying shade of green. Then everything happened so quickly with no time for me to get off the coach. Quick as a flash Ron saved the day with his newspaper into which I was violently sick.
And there began a wonderful friendship which ended in marriage and has lasted for 50 years.
When we got to the Air Show I was feeling a bit better thank goodness, but it was an absolute quagmire and still raining with everyone slipping and sliding on the muddy grass. Our 2 new friends stayed with us all day. Ron took hold of my arm and steered me round the Air Show. He didn’t slip over once! Ray was stuck with my Mum! Ron said he got the first prize – the most gorgeous girl he’d ever seen and still as lovely today !
I remember I was dressed in a yellow mac, red shoes, handbag and gloves, all matching. Ron says I was always a smart dresser.
On the way home I sat with my mum, and Ron and Ray were still sitting behind us. Thank goodness I wasn’t travel sick on the way home.
At the end of the journey Ron asked me out on our first date. He was 18, I was 17. We went to the Beau Nash Cinema in Bath to see the ‘Dambusters’ film starring Richard Todd. Our friendship took off from there and we courted for 5 years and married on June 18th 1960 at St. Thomas a Becket church in Widcombe.
This article was first published in 2021.