Dear LPG, 

When taking a look at some of the articles included on the LPG pages I can’t help but marvel at the many things that the writers find to write about.  Although, I have to note that one genre of our lives is often missed and I think, for all the many things there are to write about we older people just keep the memories of this one hidden inside all too often. 

I don’t think that there is anyone on earth, especially having got to our time of life that does not have a love story to tell, but we are all too embarrassed to write them down and that is such a shame.  I find writing things down a really good way of doing a bit of reliving my memories and so I have decided to start this ball rolling by telling you my version of how I met my soul mate.  

I could not talk about the Savoy Rooms without mentioning my husband because that venue was the reason that we first met.  I mentioned the parties that we would go on to after an evening at the Savoy and it was at one of those very parties that I found my dream man Alan. The party in question was hosted by his friend Roy in New Cross. 

I always lacked confidence around boys and I was one of those that needed a drink inside to relax me. I remember him walking towards me across a crowded room as they say. although I have no recollection of what we talked about.   I can’t remember what he was wearing but I left the party thinking that I had met a really kind and extremely good looking young man.  Before the end of the night, he asked for my telephone number and I remember my friend Sandra mentioning that she could see what was going on as soon as we got talking. I remember getting home that night with that little glow left inside.

Alan phoned me up a couple of days later and after some dates and a bit of ‘seeing each other’ as it was called in those days, we were planning our wedding.  A few weeks after we met, he told me that he only made a second date with me to see what I looked like when sober.   

There were four year’s difference in our ages and he worked at the Daily Express in Fleet Street while I worked in an office in Holborn.  He had such a lovely sense of humour and I loved him so much.  

Alan and myself got married in 1966 and our son was born in October 1967. We then moved to Blackfen Sidcup, and many other parts of England before finally ending up living on the Isle of Wight.  When I met him, Alan was a budding Footballer and also on Arsenal’s books.  So I was almost a WAG without knowing it, but even though an ankle injury stopped his Football career, we definitely did live happily ever after!

I could have added a lot more detail but I am old school and think that some things should be left to the imagination. 

I wanted to write this down because although what I have written are details that my immediate family know, it is so good to be able to read them back from time to time and there is something satisfying in knowing that my little story will still be around for a few more generations down my family line to appreciate in the future.  The ancestral websites have the official records to offer but there is something special about leaving a little bit more of the real story behind the facts…  

JW, Isle of White.