Memoirs of GD Fell

The first accommodation I found was for bed and breakfast, which was not really suitable in the long term, as I would be shortly going onto shift work, so I was keeping an eye open for different and more suitable accommodation. This I found one evening when I was having a drink in a pub and happened to mention that I was looking for fresh digs. Someone said, “Have a word with Flo over there, I know she takes lodgers and runs a transport café.” I went across, had a word with her, and the upshot of it was that I moved into the transport café at the end of the week.

There were no problems with working shifts as she had other lodgers who were also working shifts, and the food was excellent. When you went on shift she always supplied plenty of sandwiches and cakes to last you the full shift, unlike some of my colleagues who would turn up for their shift with all sorts on sandwiches.

I remember one day one of them turned up with custard, yes, custard sandwiches. That particular day my sandwiches were made with ham (off the bone).

At this stage, Margaret was still in the WRENS, we got engaged and eventually got married at St Joseph’s Church in Longsight, Manchester, and we spent our honeymoon at Lytham St. Anne’s

Left to right : My parents, James & Jane Fell, my brother Jim (best man), Myself & Margaret,  Kathleen Scholes (bridesmaid), Margaret’s parents Eleanor (Nellie) & James  Townson

It was virtually impossible to find accommodation, so Margaret and I started our married life at a transport café.