Sea Your History - Changes in communication 3

Changes in communication 3 - Hints of homecoming

Glenis Mould

Glenis met Colin in 1983 when he had been serving in the submarine branch of the Navy for eight years. Before getting married Glenis moved to Scotland for a trial period to see whether she could cope with life as a naval wife, although she was not eligible for some of the support provided for married couples. Following their marriage in 1985 they had two children. Colin was often required to work at sea for long periods when they were young, leaving Glenis to raise the children alone. She is very proud of her husband and her own connection with the Navy.

Find out how Glenis received early warning of Colin's homecoming.

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Extract Text (Duration 2.07)

You used to get a buzz around the Married Quarters saying they're due home, and I would have this little hint more than anyone, ‘cause I would always get a bouquet of flowers two days before they were due home, so I always knew that they were on their way back and he was... being the communicator he used to know there or thereabouts and he was never far wrong, so that used to be my little bit of light at the end of the tunnel knowing that he was on his way home, and there he would then appear. ‘Cause you would never know times, you would get a good send round again through the naval wires, tom-tom drums really, that they were due back for a certain time, but you'd never know. You couldn't stand by the lock and watch a submarine roll-up because you never knew what time. All of a sudden you'd get this being on your doorstep and there the tears flowed really, [laughs] because then you would... you wouldn't have eaten for three days before they came back ‘cause you're just so excited about them coming back, that then you'd lay on this special spread, you know, your best meal that you produce and one glass of wine and that was you, under the table, because [laughs] you couldn't cope with the alcohol. But we used to, you know... obviously fantastic time of coming home, and then you start the washing really and make them all clean again and get all the creases in the right place for sending them back for the next couple of days while they turned over to the off-crew and then they began their leave time. So that again was a special time of them coming back down south and catching up with family, that you hadn't seen for perhaps two/three/four months, catching up with them. Very different time for your husband because he couldn't tell you what he'd been doing ,but because he had done his time, all they want to do is come home and forget their patrol, they don't want to talk about it, but all you want them to do is talk, so it's a very difficult time of getting communication going.