Henry and Betty were married for over 60 years. They met in 1946 and as Betty was the centre of Henry’s life, here are some comments on her background and how she and Henry met.
Although Betty was born in Derby her family roots lay in Norfolk. Her father’s family came from Taverham near Norwich and her mother’s from Cromer and Aylsham. She was the third and last child in her family and the highlight of their year was summer holiday in Cromer, staying with relatives in the town.
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| Betty (centre) with sister Jean and brother John, Cromer 1931 |
They would often stay with Aunty Iris and Uncle Ernest Amis.
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| Uncle Ernest Amis |
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| L-R:Sister Jean, Uncle Ernest, father, Betty, mother |
Ernest was a marine engineer in World War I and for a short time in the 1920’s was the first mechanic of Cromer’s first motor lifeboat.
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| Arrival of "H.F.Bailey" (ON 670), 26 May 1923. On boat: Ernest Amis (5th from right with light cap) and Henry Blogg (far left) |
Betty would have heard many sea stories from her uncle when on holiday. Later, however, these idyllic holidays came to an end as both Cromer, as well as Derby, became a target for bombing raids from the earliest days of World War II.
Betty left school at 14 and took up a typist post in Derby. Not long after starting work, war broke out and everyone was required to carry a gas mask in case of a poison gas attack.
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| Betty with gas mask, Derby circa 1940 |
As Henry had found, during the war death could arrive without notice. Derby was a prime target as it was the home of Rolls Royce aero engines.
One lunchtime in Derby, Betty had just said farewell to a friend who had cycled off when a hit and run air-raid resulted in a bomb landing in the direction her friend had gone. Betty ran towards the scene of devastation. All that could be found of her friend were the arms holding onto the bike handlebars. Betty identified her friend to the authorities by the bicycle.
Not long after this tragic event, Betty joined the Womens Auxiliary Airforce (WAAF) in 1942.
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| In WAAF uniform 1942 |
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| Betty and Sooty circa 1943 |
Her war record shows that she was posted around the country including air bases at St. Athan, South Wales and Burtonwood, Warrington. The most notable posting was to RAF Church Green in 1944.
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| Betty’s War Record lists Church Green as a posting in 1944 |
RAF Church Green was an accommodation centre for the Government’s Codes and Ciphers Establishment at Bletchley Park.
Betty worked with teleprinters which were essential in breaking the German ‘Tunny’ codes used for high level communications between Berlin and the Generals in the field. These codes were more advanced than the better known ‘Enigma’ messages.
A fellow Church Green resident, Doreen Luke, wrote:
Decades later Betty was reminded of her time at Bletchley Park by the sound of teleprinters recording football results on the BBC TV’s sports programme on Saturday afternoons.
By the end of the war Betty’s parents had moved from Derby to Sheringham and so on being demobbed in 1945 she moved in with them and started work as a secretary at Hansells solicitors in St. Peters Road.
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| St. Peters Road, Sheringham, 2016 |
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| Henry at Betty’s Parents in 1946 |
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| Henry and Betty were engaged in 1946 |
The wife of a fisherman and lifeboatman has to face many worries and strains over the years but these seemed to bring Henry and Betty closer together.
Betty was proud of Henry’s achievements especially in the lifeboat service.
Betty on Sheringham Lifeboat with Henry at the helm.
