Connie Gregory

23 January 1923 – 12 March 2026

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Connie Gregory (nee Matthews), who drifted away peacefully on 12^th March 2026. A trailblazer, entertainer, and proud veteran, Connie was a cornerstone of the Bristol community and a Wren at heart until the very end. Her life was defined by remarkable service, music, and an unbreakable spirit.

A Life of Music and Courage

Connie’s journey of service began long before she donned a naval uniform. After joining the ‘Bristol Accordion Band’ in 1937, she joined the ‘Bristol Wartime Entertainers,’ in 1939 at age 16, lifting the spirits of a thousand airmen at Hullavington Airfield.

Her resilience was forged in the fire of the Bristol Blitz.  While working as a ‘Baffle Inspector’ on warplanes at the BAC (Bristol Aircraft Company) in Filton, she miraculously survived the fateful bombing by the Germans that claimed the lives of many of her friends and colleagues in September 1940.

She later joined the musical act ‘The Seven Elliotts’ and toured theatres all over Britain for 6 months, giving shows to the troops and radio broadcasts, before returning to the BAC Patchway office.  It was here she decided to join the WRNS.

Naval Service and the WRNS

Following in the footsteps of her father, a Royal Navy Able Seaman, Connie joined the WRNS to ‘do her bit’. With a custom-made ship’s bag gifted by her proud father, she completed her training at Westfield, Southsea, and was stationed at HMS Tormentor at Warsash.

As an Officers’ Steward, Connie played a vital role in the preparations for D-Day, working aboard the landing craft that would eventually cross the Channel. In 1944, she married her boyfriend Ken, who was serving in the Royal Navy, and her service concluded with an Honourable Discharge that year as they prepared to start a family.

A Pillar of the Wrens Community

In her later years, Connie remained a tireless advocate for veterans, serving with distinction as the Chairman of the Bristol Branch of the Association of Wrens from 2014 to 2024. It is testament to her contribution, amongst others, that the Branch has stood the test of time and was able to celebrate its 65^th anniversary last October.

Our Bristol Branch members fondly remember the various ‘coffee morning’ trips that she made with them over the years (notably her RNLI visit in Jun 2024), the recent presentation of her WWII veteran’s portrait in Sept 2025, her centennial birthday celebration in 2023 and her 103^rd birthday in Feb 2026.

Whether she was playing the accordion, singing at St Peter’s, or sharing her vivid wartime memories, Connie’s sharp wit and remarkable energy never faded – even at the age of 103. She was a woman of incredible poise and grit, a steady anchor for her family whom she dearly loved, and was a living link to a generation of wartime heroes who never made it but to whom we owe a profound debt of gratitude for the subsequent years of relative peace.

She will be warmly remembered at every Remembrance Service, joining the friends and brave colleagues she so faithfully honoured throughout her long life.

“Fair Winds and Following Seas” to a woman admired by all, who lived with an enviable sense of duty and incredible grace and will always be remembered as part of our Wrens family.

Connie’s funeral service will be held at 1330 on Thursday 16^th April 2026 at the South Bristol Cemetery and Crematorium, and afterwards at HMS Flying Fox for the wake.

Written by Angela Burgess

AOW Bristol Branch

This picture of Mary was taken in 1946 whilst she was awaiting transport back to Kenya after the war ended.  She and some friends, billeted in Gillingham (Kent), decided to go exploring on their afternoon off.  They hitched a lift from someone with a van who asked them where they were going.  Nowhere in particular was their reply, where are you going?  The van driver told them he was heading for Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey.  That will do us was the response and that’s where they ended up and where the photo was taken.

Sally Banks