|
Pat’s
parents came up with a wonderful suggestion.
Her sister Peggy was now living in
Ceylon
married to a tea planter and was expecting her first baby.
They were going out there to support her while waiting for the
birth. It was arranged that
Pat would travel with them as far as
Cape Town
. Here she could stay with an
aunt and uncle for a few months before continuing on to
Ceylon
to help look after the baby. They
set out in 1939 when Pat was 24.
From
the tiny, dismal bedsit where the window looked out onto a brick wall –
her accommodation while studying chiropody – she now experienced the
height of luxury travelling first class on one of the enormous
Union-Castle Line ships. She
joined in the social life but nothing could remove the inner feeling of
black despair and total lack of confidence.
Pat’s
visits to
South Africa
and
Ceylon
allowed her to regain her strength and it was a return to a life of
comfort and security. But this
did not last long because the declaration of war meant she had to return
to
England.
|
