My Mother

It was September 3, 1939, England had declared war on Germany and WWII in Europe had begun.  My mother, Elsie Merina Shorthose, was a 17 year old teenager just out of, what we would consider, High School.  She watched as all her brothers and uncles went off to war, some to North Africa, some to India, and one of them to Dunkirk.  Her father, who had fought in the trenches of the “Western Front” in WWI was too old to enlist and was still suffering from the “Shell Shock” disability of that encounter and living on his pension.

My mother, Elsie Merina Shorthose

The brother who fought in the battle of Dunkirk was one of the lucky ones who survived and was evacuated in what Winston Churchill later described as a “miracle of deliverance.”  During his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech Churchill described the events at Dunkirk as a “colossal military disaster.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Luckily for my uncle, Britain was able to evacuate 338,226 soldiers in a nine day effort that included the British Navy and a flotilla of 700 merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, and the lifeboats of the Royal National lifeboat institution.  Britain had lost her first battle of WWII and if Hitler had pursued the retreating army, the war may well have ended right there.

One of the Flotilla Boats loaded with evacuees

While visiting London in 2002, I had a chance to meet and chat with several survivors of Dunkirk.  Gail and I had lunch each day at “The Albert,” a quaint 19^th century pub located right in the heart of London’s business district and that is where I chanced to meet these gentlemen.

The Albert

Apparently, they were delivered to The Albert once a week from the “Old Soldier’s Home” where they could enjoy a “pint” and break the monotony of their lives.  All of them were well into their eightys and ninetys, but they were all alert and loved to chat.  I was thrilled to hear their first hand accounts of Dunkirk!

British evacuees on the beaches of Dunkirk firing at the German planes that were strafing them

Back at home, my mother enlisted as soon as she was eligible.  She wore a uniform and was, initially trained with the “home guard.”

My mother Elsie, in uniform

One of her first duties was to help the Red Cross with the wounded veterans who were just arriving from Dunkirk.  When the “Battle of Britain” started in 1940, she helped with the displaced children that were being moved out of London to protect them from the incessant bombing of the German Luftwaffe.  It was a battle for survival for England during these years, and a sudden awakening for a young teenage girl from the Midlands.