Blind veteran receives WWII medal 79 years after war

A blind veteran has been awarded The War Medal 1939-1945, 79 years after end of the war.

Mary, 98-years-old, volunteered in August 1943 at the age of 17 and a half with the consent of her parents. She says: “If I’d have waited to be conscripted I most likely would have been sent to work in a munitions factory which I really didn’t want to do. So I volunteered and got sent to work in the pay office.”

Mary served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), attached to 36 Company Royal Army Pay Corps. She says: “When I listen to other people’s stories from the war I realise that I had a fairly easy time. Being based in North Devon we were affected by a lot of the air raids on South Wales. We often had to get up in the night, don our tin hats, and hope for the best.

“We were 60 miles away from Plymouth but could see it being burnt to the ground during the raids. The sky was completely red. It was a terrible sight."

She continues: “Despite the hardships I made some wonderful friends in the ATS. I shared a room with a lady from Glasgow and we remained close until she passed away three years ago. Sadly I’m the last one left.

“After the war you had to claim your medal but I wasn’t really interested at that time. It was only when I went to Blind Veterans UK’s rehabilitation centre and I saw all the other veterans wearing their medals that I thought I should apply. So my Blind Veterans UK Community Support Worker put the wheels in motion and lodged the application for me.

“The next time I was at the centre I went down to the mess for the evening meal, and the staff had put a huge photo of 18-year old me on the wall and presented me with the medal. I couldn’t believe it. I was a little bit embarrassed but also very proud.

Mary's wreath was provided by Llandudno funeral directors, Tom Owen and Son, as part of our ‘Gift a Wreath’ campaign, which gives people and businesses the opportunity to pay for a wreath which can be laid by blind veterans at Remembrance Sunday ceremonies around the country.

Mary’s sight started to decline in 1990 when she was diagnosed with macular degeneration. But it was a few years later that a brain haemorrhage suddenly took away the majority of her sight. She says: “My sight is very very slight now. I haven’t seen my own face for ten years. When it happened I was very worried as I was already badly disabled and now I was blind too.”

Luckily, shortly after the haemorrhage, Mary found out about our charity and started receiving support. She says: “It changed my life. It feels like being part of a big family and you meet lots of people in the same situation as yourself, which helps you accept your sight loss. I visit the charity’s rehabilitation centre in Llandudno every three months or so and have a wonderful time there.

“The charity have also given me lots of equipment which has allowed me to remain independent at home. Things like a machine that reads text out to me. It means I can read my letters and don’t need to wait for someone to help me with them.”