Join us in wishing a Happy Birthday to Marjorie West, who has turned 100-years-old.
Marjorie and Sergeant Charles Edward ‘Ted’ Graysmark lived on the same road in Isleworth, fell in love and were married in 1942. The couple had a two-week honeymoon booked, but Ted was recalled to his squadron which shipped out of Greenock to Malta. They were briefed in Gibraltar to fly off the ship, land in Malta, refuel and get airborne because Axis fighters would be coming in. This was Operation Bowery, their ship HMS Eagle. All Spitfires landed safely and survived the first attacks. Ted sadly was shot down some days later, got into his life raft, but was shot and killed before reaching land.
Marjorie was distraught but, as for so many others, life went on. She saw a recruiting poster some months later and decided to join the WRNS. After basic training, she was posted to Poole as teleprinter operator, and then to Southwick House to work for SHAEF leading up to D-Day. She crossed to France in September 1944 and during some time off, Marjorie and a friend were in a NAAFI cafe on the Champs Elysee, when two RAF lads joined them for a coffee. One of these aircraftmen was Victor West, who also worked for SHAEF. They became friends, stayed in touch after Marjorie moved to Brussels then Hamburg and Victor went to Warsaw, and eventually both returned to the UK for demobilisation.
They married in April 1947, starting married life in Edinburgh but soon moving near to Marjorie’s family in Middlesex. They had two children, Christine and Colin. Victor died in 1999, but Marjorie has survived and thrived to reach 100 years old, seeing the arrival of five grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren, enjoying their company and watching them grow up.
Source: Veterans Foundation
Association of Wrens and the
Women of the Royal Naval Services
Lanyard House, Scott Road
HM Naval Base
Portsmouth, PO1 3LU
Registered Charity No. 257040
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