Whitley Bay in WWII

In 1935, the teenaged boy and girl met at a Guy Fawkes bonfire night in Cheshire. In 1939, they married, and the young and foolish 19 year old newly wed boy, in awe of the armed forces, joined the British army.

Whilst stationed at Whitley Bay, he sent his wife a series of four postcards, each with a message written in his own hand on the back of the cards....

"To my wife, with thoughts of happiness and love to come, from a grateful and ever true and loving husband".

And..."From your loving husband"....

Followed by...."To my darling wife, from your ever loving husband (but always broke)"

And finally...."From your still loving husband, and please send something soon. I am broke, another thing, you'll have to send it quick because of me being moved"....

Ahhh...the romance of the war years *cough* !!!

Yesterday, I was reminded of my parents (yes, the young romantic (?) soldier was my dad!) fondness for Whitley Bay, when RichieBoo added a beautiful photo of the Whitley Bay lighthouse to his journal. I remember mum having a brooch with a picture of the lighthouse on it, and looked through some of my saved treasures today to see if I could find it.

The brooch didn't turn up, but the old postcards did, so today I am sharing "a photo of a photo" of "The Promenades Looking South, Whitley Bay".

I wonder, do the old buildings shown on this postcard still stand on the Whitley Bay Promenade today? Perhaps there may be some blippers in the vicinity of Whitley Bay who could let me know if they recognise this area.

I wonder if my father sent my mother the brooch from Whitley Bay? Perhaps she decided to hand deliver the requested money, before he was moved, buying the brooch as a memento?

These questions will never be answered now, and it doesn't matter, because one thing I do know for sure, the brooch traveled with my mum many years later, when they immigrated to Australia. It was one of a handful of personal possessions they chose bring with them on the six week ship voyage to a new life.