major events of 1940's

 As the war with Germany escalated John would be sent overseas with his regiment  Before he went he proposed and he and Rachael were married on 6th January.   John was given a 24 hour pass and returned to barracks the following day.

John went out to war on 8 February 1940 and would not return home for more than 4 years.  Communication between him and Rachael would be restricted.  There were no telephones and letters and cards were monitored to ensure nothing was said that could be harmful to the war effort.

Hostilities of the largest war in history lasted from 1940-45.  Many parts of the Empire supported Britain in its fight against facism.  Despite a reluctance to join in what many Americans viewed initially as a European issue,  the United States officially entered World War 2 on December 11, 1941, as the result of an attack on Pearl Harbour by the Japanese.  Without their support the outcome for Britain could have been very different.

By the end of the decade with the war over John and Rachael set up home together in Croydon. Their initial homes were in the large houses in Pampisford and Wellesley Road which had been converted into flats.  By the end of the decade they had moved into an end of terrace house in Cranbrook Road, Thornton Heath, with their  3 children, John, Carol and Robert.    Their 4th child, Christine, was born in the house at Cranbrook Road in 1950.