Women in Wartime - War Bride

Hello, I've got another instalment from the Imperial War Museums Collection Archive for you all today, I do hope you are enjoying these as much as I enjoy piecing the stories back together, it's addictive!

So today we have the story of newly engaged couple Marcelle and Harold as they go about their preparations for their upcoming nuptials in March 1943.

A head and shoulders portrait of newly-engaged couple Miss Marcelle L'estrange and Flying Officer Harold Lackland Bevan on a street in London.

Newly-engaged Marcelle L'estrange and her fiance Flying Officer Harold Lackland Bevan look in a jeweller's shop window for a suitable engagement and/or wedding ring. 
Because of the scarcity of gold and jewels, jewellers are only allowed to sell a certain quota of jewels each quarter, many selling out at the very beginning of the quarter. Gold had been stopped for wedding ring manufacture, but is now released in small quantities, but gold wedding rings are very hard to find, particularly in the cities.

Marcelle L'estrange and Harold Lackland Bevan examine an engagement ring in a jeweller's shop in London. There is little choice, as restrictions, precious metals such as gold and the lack of skilled staff to re-set rings means that couples like Marcelle and Harold must choose for the remainder of pre-war stock.

Harold Lackland Bevan and Marcelle L'estrange examine some pieces of secondhand china in a shop in London. All china now being produced in Utility and plain white. Coloured china sets have disappeared with the exception of some remaining pre-war stocks of Crown Derby and Coleport. Secondhand dinner services are therefore in huge demand.

Marcelle L'estrange looks at a wedding cake in a shop in London. The assistant explains that the icing effect is made of painted cardboard and rice paper and lifts off to reveal the real cake below. According to the original caption: "The cake underneath the trimmings is less full of currants than a pre-war cake and must not cost more than 35 cents a pound".

Marcelle L'estrange stops to buy some cleaning products from a kiosk on her way home. A blackboard lists various products and their uses, such as 'Texacleen' for 'silks, rayons and woollens', and buckets and the like are stacked in the open air. 

Newly-engaged Marcelle L'estrange buys vegetable seeds from a salesman in London. Civilians are encouraged, through the 'Dig for Victory' campaign, to grow their own vegetables anywhere they can, so even if they do not have a garden, a window box should be used instead.

Marcelle L'estrange looks at her permit for Utility furniture which she has just received from Chelsea Borough Council in March 1943

How amazing is Marcelle's Hair!! the is certainly some authentic Victory rolls going on there, well when you are engaged to a Chap in the RAF it's only fitting!!

Marcelle L'estrange fills in an application form for Utility furniture. Identity card numbers, full names, addresses and occupations of the people applying for this furniture must be given, along with the reasons for purchase and the possible amount required.

Marcelle L'estrange looks through a catalogue of Utility furniture in a shop in London. Although there is not much choice, the furniture is simple and practical and all articles are sold at a controlled rate, free of purchase tax, making it a lot cheaper for young couples setting up home for the first time.

Flying Officer Harold Lackland Bevan buys some daffodils for his bride-to-be from a flower seller in Sloane Square, Chelsea.

All images and Quoted text are taken from the Imperial War Museum Collection Archive

Sadly we don't get to see Harold and Marcelle's wedding (Boo!) but I am sure it was a wonderful day even with the cardboard icing on the cake!

In November of the same year, shortly after these pictures were taken, Harold was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his work as a bomb aimer and Visual marker flying in Lancaster's, with 165 Squadron. He continued flying many sorties right up to the end of the war. 

After a fair bit of searching, I finally found both of their names (Marcelle was nicknamed Tessa) amongst those of the passengers aboard the Aquila Airways 'City of Sydney' traveling to Palermo on the 15th Nov 1957. This was an ill-fated voyage. Due to problems with one of its propellers, the pilot made the decision to return to Southampton airport, during this attempt it crashed into a chalk pit on the Isle of Wight. Out of the 58 passengers and crew, only 13 survived, Harold and Tessa were not among them.

"With over 50 people on-board the craft appeared to loose power rapidly and crash into the disused chalk pit just above the small villages of Chessell and Shalcombe. Sadly the crash took the lives of 43 of the passengers and crew, valiant efforts were made by locals including that of the Author JB Priestly and a local policeman but before they could assist anymore passengers or crew the aircraft burst into flames and anyone left in the plane sadly perished."           (Quote source)

I can't help feeling a sad irony to their story, to survive all those potentially dangerous missions over Germany and the bombing of London and then to be killed on a holiday flight. They would have been married for about 13/14 years, I do hope they were happy.

If you enjoyed this then you might fancy looking through some my past Picture Posts click the tab at the top!

Wendy x