- Contributed by听
- West_End_at_War
- People in story:听
- Julia Bell
- Location of story:听
- Southsea Beach, Portsmouth
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A2747621
- Contributed on:听
- 15 June 2004
This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Emma Burman of CSV Media on behalf of Natasha Drewry and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.
My great great aunt, Julia Bell, was about 10 years old in 1944 and was walking along Southsea Beach, Portsmouth on the morning of the preparations for D-Day.
Her father was a bank manager and he had given her a little suede bag of shiny new pennies. This was a real treat as they were very hard to come by.
Soldiers were in the process of boarding the boats and one saw her playing with these pennies. He asked her if he could have one for good luck. She happily gave him one. Being a very warm-hearted little girl, she ended up giving all her pennies away to soldiers in the hope that it would bring all of them good luck. Her father was less happy about her having given all her money away.
She always hoped they did come back safely and would have loved to have known for sure.
This was a happy story that she liked to tell people.
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