Moments Become Memories

After the outbreak of the First World War the loneliness felt by the men on the front line and the women left behind during the First World War encouraged relationships to start through letters. Women were even encouraged by local communities to form friendships with lonely soldiers by writing to them.This scenario was portrayed so well in the story of Daisy marrying William in Downton Abbey. Marriage was certainly a source of hope to the millions of men in the trenches. Because of the war, many marriages were planned very quickly, either before the groom went away to fight, or whilst he was home on leave so many brides had no option but to borrow a wedding gown to wear on the day therefore a more austere wedding appeared throughout the war. The Great War robbed two million women of the men they would have married. A whole generation grew old relying on the friendships of women they had known since schooldays, many of them becoming strong resilient women

When I was a student nurse in the 1970s the old people on the wards were people who had lived and served through world war one. I wish so much I had talked to them more about their lives. I do remember clearly one 89 year old woman I looked after. While I was washing her I commented on an old tattoo she had at the top of her arm. In the 1970s, not like today, it was very unusual to see a tattoo on a woman. It was faded on her old skin but I could see it was words. When I asked her what it said she told me it was the name of her husband. “Lots of us young girls had our young men’s names tattooed on us before they went off to fight” she told me. “We had only met for few weeks before we married and we were married for just nine days before he left for the front. He never came back and I never married again” She said sadly. “Oh Ellen that is so sad” I replied. “It was even sadder when my Father saw the tattoo one day” she said with a laugh “I got a proper hiding!” They were different times indeed.