- Contributed by听
- TenburyWellsShow
- People in story:听
- Betty Butterworth and Wilfred Hadley
- Location of story:听
- Cradley Church, Herefordshire
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2967627
- Contributed on:听
- 02 September 2004
We'd saved up all our coupons to buy silky material for wedding dress - new not borrowed - and turquoise with pink rosebuds for the bridesmaids. I was to be a bridesmaid (I was 14) and my sister, the bride, was 20. Mum made all the dresses. Bridesmaid had heart-shaped with little pleats on. The preparations were all going ahead, cake made (dad worked at bakery and got it ready) and then about four days before wedding Wilfred recalled to go to Normandy. He landed on D-Day beaches on what would have been their wedding day (with South Staffs Regiment). In France he transferred to Paratroop Division and parachuted into Arnhem and was killed that day. So the wedding never took place.
He was killed on 26 September (we know because my son went to Arnhem on a school trip and found his grave and brought us back photos of it). My sister got the news of his death two days later on her birthday. Wilf's Mum said that an Officer spoke to her and said he was the only one in the regiment to die that day and it was a quick death - a sniper got him. This news was a great comfort to us.
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