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Archiver > WARBRIDES > 2006-12 > 1167339988


From: "Larry Button" <>
Subject: Re: [WARBRIDES] The Half-Million
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:06:28 -0500
References: <000801c729f7$f54047c0$37930a52@david8ma7n0avn><b65d2a240612271307h7c800964q76e05bfdcc3c8342@mail.gmail.com><000601c729fe$44b31ed0$0a02a8c0@larrybutton><000401c72ab4$710e2220$37930a52@david8ma7n0avn>


David:

1. Perhaps warrants some further checking but from my Dad's log book
Warrington appears to be more of an administrative centre. He was never
actually stationed there...rather was at Morpeth, Isle of Man, Montrose and
various air bases in the North & Scotland.

2. Any sense whatsoever as to where in Canada the cousin resides? A good
source of info over here is the Royal Canadian Legion

3. Interesting that there's a cousin in Co. Durham. While my mother was born
in Berwick she grew up at Raby Castle (near Staindrop / Barnard Castle etc)
where her father was head gamekeeper to Lord Barnard. Spent a fair bit of
time visiting family & friends in the area back in 1970.

4. Interesting to see you're in Essex. When ever I was in England would
visit with an uncle & his family in Sible Hedingham (near Braintree). He
worked at an American airbase near by.

If there's any digging about I can do over here let me know...Larry
----- Original Message -----
From: "DAVID williams" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 2:14 PM
Subject: Re: [WARBRIDES] The Half-Million


> Hello Larry
> That is very interesting. There was, much to my surprise, a Canadian
> naval
> base in Warrington - I presume something to do with intelligence rather
> than
> with actual ships. As I said, I am looking for a cousin of my mother.
> There is another cousin still alive, in County Durham, and she would like
> to
> make contact with the (now) Canadian cousin. She believes the husband to
> have been Army, but the book (1/2 Million) says that there were soldiers
> only in the southern counties. So, an air base at Warrington (or anywhere
> else in Lancashire) looks more likely. Thee were no marriages in
> Warrington, but she was working in a hospital in Manchester and I guess
> that
> they could have married nearer to Manchester, even if he were stationed in
> Warrington.
> Another theory that I have is that as she was working in the fever
> hospital
> in Manchester, he may have been Army and he may have been a patient there.
> I'll get there eventually, but I would like to do it before the (Co.
> Durham)
> cousin dies. I think that I still have a few years before that unhappy
> event and so I will keep "pegging away".
> Thanks. Any little snippets of information are welcome, as they could
> lead
> to my goal.
> David W in Essex
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Larry Button" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 9:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [WARBRIDES] The Half-Million
>
>
>> Joyce & David:
>>
>> While the Air Base at Warrington may have been a U.S. installation I have
>> some documentation indicating that Warrington was associated with the
>> RCAF
> /
>> RAF as well.
>>
>> I have my late father's [WO2 Thomas BUTTON] "Pilot's Flying Log Book." He
>> served in the RCAF. On the second to last page "Record of Service" there
> is
>> the following chronology:
>>
>> > RCAF R Depot Warrington - 25/5/45 - 6/6/45
>> > RCAF R Depot Torquay - 6/6/45 - 6/7/45
>> > then...Ile de France, Lachine P.Q. and #3 Release Centre Rockcliffe
>>
>> In addition I also have the "Permission to Marry" for my parents [my
> mother
>> LACW Margaret Mitchell ELLIOTT was in the RAF] which is signed at RCAF
>> "R"
>> Depot, Houghton Green, Warrington, Lancs.
>>
>> Larry Button (Dundas, Canada)
>>
>> P.S. It was my pleasure to accompany my mum and several other war brides
> to
>> the Provincial Legislature when 2006 was declared "Year of the War Bride"
>> here in Ontario. However one of the politicians speaking at the event put
>> his foot in it when he spoke of the war brides accompanying their
>> Canadian
>> husbands to Canada. My parents were married in Stranraer, Scotland in
>> June
>> 1945. By July my dad was on a ship back to Canada. Alone. My mum didn't
> come
>> to Canada until April 1946. As I understand it this was the rule rather
> than
>> the exception.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Joyce Vonstrahl" <>
>> To: <>
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 4:07 PM
>> Subject: Re: [WARBRIDES] The Half-Million
>>
>>
>> > Hello David,
>> > The Air Base at Warrington was a United States installation, Good Luck.
>> > Joyce
>> >
>> > On 12/27/06, DAVID williams <> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Hello all
>> >> I have just finished reading the book "The Half-Million". It was a
> very
>> >> good read and extremely interesting. In my naivety I hoped to find
>> >> something specific about individual Canadian Servicemen in the UK
> during
>> >> WWII, but I didn't. Having extracted from the GRO Indexes all the
>> >> marriages
>> >> in Lancashire and Cheshire with the name of my mother's cousin from
> 1939
>> >> to
>> >> 1947, I have been trying to find who she married. It's like looking
> for
>> >> a
>> >> "needle in a haystack". There were 84 marriages in all. I have
> managed
>> >> to
>> >> get that down to 20 possibles.
>> >> In the book there was mention of a RCN base at Warrington and I
>> >> thought
>> >> well at least I can follow up on the Warrington marriages. When I
> looked
>> >> at
>> >> my list, there are none. there were apparently no Army personnel
>> >> "north
>> >> of Watford". so, I guess he must have been RAF or RCAF. Oh well,
>> >> it's
>> >> "back to square one".
>> >> Despite the disappointment, the book was well worth reading and for
> those
>> >> who haven't read it, you should try to get hold of it. Particularly,
>> >> those
>> >> of us this "side of the water" (in the UK).
>> >> All the best and a happy and prosperous New Year to you all.
>> >> David W in Essex
>> >>
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>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Joyce
>> >
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>>
>>
>>
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