[BITList] A GWA Occasion

[John Feltham]

G'day folks,

This is a round robin Email from Helma and myself to our Families and  
our Friends, personal and Internet.


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Helma and and I will be celebrating our Golden Wedding Anniversary on  
the 19th of September.

I have created a special web page for the occasion.

You can all see it, at this URL...

http://vsdh.org//gwa/

There are small bits of explanatory text at the bottom of each photo.  
Some folk with slow internet connections may find the photos come down  
a little slowly.

A word or two of explanation.

Our wedding took place in the RAF Chapel located at the Royal  
Netherlands AIr Force Base, in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands the State doesn't recognise religious marriages and  
the Church does not recognise State marriages, so some couples have to  
go through both ceremonies.

UK Military servicemen serving in Germany at that time still had  
conditions applied to their getting married.

I was serving with the RAF in Germany at that time. The RAF would not  
allow its personnel to marry anyone from the ‘Benelux’ countries,  
without first spending a least one week on leave back in the UK -  
supposedly to allow the parents of the man to attempt to stop the  
marriage!

If an airman wanted to marry a German national however, there was no  
such impediment to the marriage. Yes, I know, we couldn't understand  
that one either!

We got around this by sending Helma to stay with one of my cousins in  
London, where she was able to apply for a "Special License to marry"  
on condition that she lived in England for seven days..

One week later I flew in from Germany to London and we were married at  
the Wandsworth Registry Office on the 17th August 1959. but Helma and  
I have always celebrated our wedding on the 19 September.

It was only a marriage ‘for the Law’ but my cousin had quietly told  
all my relatives in England and they were all present at the Registry  
Office. Including my Mother’s mother, Grandma Reader and my brother,  
Michael. Helma and I returned to The Netherlands by train and I went  
back to barracks in Germany to some rowdy comments from my RAF friends.

The 20th of September 1959 was also "Battle of Britain Sunday".

When Father Grÿping, the celebrant, gave his homily, he wasn't to know  
that Helma's mother was German and that there were quite a few wedding  
guests present in the congregation, from Germany .

Fr. Grÿping, being a Squadron Leader in the Dutch Air Force and the  
Honorary Chaplain to the RAF Base, took as his theme for his Homily,  
"The Battle of Britain". He said I remember, that we should all thank  
the RAF for their deeds in the air, as otherwise, we would all be  
speaking German!

Quote:

Battle of Britain Week

THIS year's Battle of Britain Week will be held from September 14 to 20.

Battle of Britain Day itself, commemorating the climax of the 1940 air  
battle, will be marked on September 15 by traditional ceremonies and  
colour-hoisting parades at R.A.F. units throughout the world; and the  
"at home" day -  when stations are open to the public - will be on  
Saturday, September 19.

The following day will be commemorated as Battle of Britain Sunday  
with the customary thanksgiving services in cathedrals and churches.

So, looking at the photos in sequence, in accordance with Dutch  
custom...

I arrive at the Bride's house in the wedding car carrying the Bride's  
bouquet and knock on the door. She opens the door and I go inside and  
present her with her bouquet. We then leave for the church in the same  
car.

The church service then follows the 'normal' ceremony.

Helma's Mother and Father, brothers, Joop, Frans and Albert, together  
with her sisters, Martha and Louise were present.

My side of the family was represented by my Uncle Jim and his wife  
Olive (my father's sister), and my Mother's sister, Enid.



Helma and John Feltham
Townsville
North Queensland
Australia

31 August 2009

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