Carole Josey grew up hearing stories of D-Day from her parents. Her mother, Phyll Nordon, née Worton, was 16 at the time, and living in Langer Road in Felixstowe with her mother and grandmother.
“Of course, at that time, Langer Road was the main route into the dock - Walton Avenue and Dock Road being just dirt tracks in those days,” remembered Mrs Josey.
“My mother recalled how military vehicles and troops were queued up from the Dock in a continuous convoy along Carr Road and Langer Road, waiting to embark for France.
“Parked outside their house were American servicemen, and conversations were struck up between them and the residents. One of them must have taken a fancy to my Mum, because some period of time later she received a letter from him. She recalled how her grandma was very much taken with this and showed it to all the neighbours.
“Sadly, I don’t know if my Mum replied to him or what happened to the letter, but 18 months or so later she married my Dad, Doug Nordon! He was stationed with the Royal Navy at HMS Beehive at the Dock Basin. I remember him recalling that in the few days’ run up to the event they were confined to base, so they knew D-Day was imminent.
“Five months after D-Day, an American plane crashed a few yards from the family home, destroying several cottages with a number of fatalities.
“The house survived, and my parents went on to spend the rest of their lives there.”
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