A youthful marriage that survived the war
[caption id="attachment_36311" align="alignright" width="405"] NOW: Seventieth anniversary of Douglas and Norma Green at Dunant Park, Summerstrand. Inset: Douglas and Norma Green pictured 70 years ago on their wedding dayPicture: FREDLIN ADRIAAN 2014[/caption]
IT WAS the middle of the Second World War when 15-year old Norma Jeanes walked in the front door of her sister's home in Port Elizabeth to see her pen-pal. A handsome young man in uniform, 17-year-old Douglas Green, was standing in the lounge. He had come to visit and although the teenagers had never met before, it was love at first sight for both of them.
"Take a look here, Doug was very handsome," said Norma last week, showing a picture of Doug in his South African Air Force uniform on their wedding day on June 5 1944.
Doug was an Air Force mechanic who specialised in propellers, and was stationed in Egypt, North Africa, before being transferred to Italy later in the war.
Norma, the youngest of 10 children, lived with one of her sisters as her parents had died when she was still a child. "I quickly had to learn to stand on my own," she said. Norma worked as a short-hand typist and was a stay-at-home mother.
Douglas was also the baby in his family of seven children, quipping that "we've both outlived our parents and our siblings. I turned 90 years old in May".
For her 16th birthday, Doug bought Norma a watch, the first she'd ever owned and a few weeks later they decided to get married.
"We didn't know how much time we had with each other and that is why we got married when we did. He could've been killed because he was in the air force," Norma said.
When the war continued in Europe and North Africa, both sides of the family encouraged them to go ahead with their wedding plans back home and a date was set for June 24 1944.
The first attempt to get married saw Norma setting off by train for Johannesburg to marry Douglas. But the railway lines were washed away so she sat on the station platform outside Uitenhage while the guests continued to hold the reception tea.
Norma arrived the day before Doug's special leave ended, but when they headed to the magistrate's court to fetch their wedding licence they were told they needed a signed letter of consent from Doug's parents.
Doug had a letter – but it was not signed – and he returned to camp still a bachelor.
With no e-mails or cellphones, the young couple's only contact was through daily letters.
"I wrote to her every day and I numbered my letters so that she could know which one it was," Doug said.
On the second attempt, Douglas's unit was transferred without notice – a common occurrence during the war – and once again the guests had a reception tea without any ceremony.
The third and final wedding date also had its share of drama as the minister who was to marry them forgot about the ceremony. Doug remembers jumping on the bus in Johannesburg to go looking for the minister, and found him busy gardening!
However, that ceremony went ahead, although the wedding night was shortlived: at 4am the next morning, Doug left his bride and returned to camp.
Upon his arrival, he learned that he would be transferred to Italy and would have to leave the next day.
"You can't do this to me!" he exclaimed to his commanding officer, who then managed to get the transfer delayed for a few days.
For the next two weeks, Doug hitch-hiked back and forth from his base to his new wife, a trip that was a little over three hours each day.
Then, on June 24, – their original planned wedding date – he flew off with the last squadron to Italy, leaving behind his distressed bride of 19 days.
"I was so sad when he left. I even have a picture of that day," Norma said, reminiscing on their long life together.. - Sinesipho Mbandazayo. Additional reporting by Shirley Corder