My Mum Gwen Harrison (Nee Canterbury)

I was too young to remember my dad being in service with the LF's but do remember dad's stories he used to tell. Sadly mum died shortly after my dad so unable to tell her story.

Mum and dad met in Bury during one of dad's home base in October 1957 at Bury Palais (which was at the side of the Railway station on Bolton Street Bury) at the age of 19 it was a short engagement as they married at Bury Registry Office January 8th 1958. This is a picture of mum before they married.

Mum was left at home when dad went to Cyprus 21 January 1958-22nd June 1959 celebrating her first anniversary without her husband at her side. Instead they wrote letter to each other.

During their early years of marriage they lived with Gwen's mum Mary at 5 Deal St Bury (not that far away from the Barracks on Bolton Road).whilst they saved up for their own little home.

Dad served at home from June 1959 to 18th April 1961

On 1st May 1960 Gwen gave birth to their first child Diana. (Pictured below is a photo of daddy's little girl)

Followed shortly after by a son Christopher Paul on the 25th April 1961 by which time Paul had been posted to Germany. (Pictured below)

When Christopher was 6 weeks old mum joined dad and the other LF wives in Germany until dad returned to England 10th January 1962.

In Germany they lived in a flat and would often talk about the lady who lived in the flat above them called Hilda. Hilda seemed to give mum support looking after myself and Christopher. It must have been hard for her looking after a toddler and a young baby without her family close by for support.

On return to England they purchased their own stone built 2 up 2 down house with the privy at the bottom of the yard in Tottington. Shortly afterwards dad came out of the Army on medical grounds

Picture of mum outside their first home. 64 Wesley Street Tottington Bury Lancashire.

Dad's stories
Dad would tell us a story of him and some pals went hunting and found something they initially thought was a wild bore only to find it was a little more than that and gave them a chase I assume it objected to being poked. They ran and climbed the nearest tree until the coast was clear.

Another story dad would tell was about the barracks. When one of his fellow comrades went out on the town they always heard his return. They would hear scrape thud scrape thud the following morning there would be a gravestone. They never knew where it came from or how he managed to carry it as it took several of them to move it.

Dad was also cursed he said by a witch doctor whilst in Kenya. He was told he would never have a happy life or words to that effect.

Dad never forgot his Army years and was proud to have served in the LF'S in his opinion they was not a finer regiment of men. This was obvious when he would take out his photographs and talk about the events in them. Or if there was a news event about a particular war he would always says his regiment would do it better. No regiment was better or a finer body of men.

One thing I learned from dad was how to spell Lancashire it was a word I could never spell at school

Let
All
Nations
Come
And
See
How
I
Respect
England

Paul and Gwen Harrison

I have wrote this in memory of my parents may they be resting in peace together.

Diana Needham