The Cassino Doll

Bridging the generations

By Janet Penn © 2007

  

The Doll

50 years ago my grandmother Alice Bull gave me a doll as a souvenir of her trip to Italy.  Not a very surprising event really just a normal everyday occurrence. Alice, aged 73 was a nervous traveller, she had never flown before she was about to visit her son’s grave in a foreign land. This was not an everyday occurrence. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Grandmother

 

My grandmother Alice Bull nee Frampton was born at Burton Road, Christchurch, Hampshire in 1883 into a family with strong connections with Highcliffe, Hampshire.  Alice’s grandfather James Frampton born in Milton in 1825 was one of the first inhabitants of the new village of Slop Pond later thankfully to be called Highcliffe.  Alice’s father Frank b 1851 had a building firm in the village. Her uncle John and his wife Jane started the Highcliffe Methodist Church. 

 

Alice attended the local village school before working as a housemaid in Highcliffe Castle.  Following a relationship with a local lad Alice went to London where she found herself aged 19, pregnant and destitute.  She was fortunate that a doctor came to her rescue.  Her first child was born in 1902 and she later went on to marry and raised another 5 children.  

 

 

The Airport

As a 10 year old in 1956 a visit to Heathrow airport to see my grandmother and her daughter Lily on their way to Italy was a very exciting thing.  The whole family turned out.  My Uncle took as many as he could in his car, the rest of us had to go by bus and train but we did not care it was a great adventure as far as we were concerned.  We were not really in tune with the real events that were taking place.  The great emotion my grandmother must have been going through.

 

Heathrow was a more open airport in 1956. Heathrow, then known as London Airport, opened in 1946 with old Army Surplus Tents being used as the Terminal.  The Queen opened the new permanent terminal in 1955. Today this is still in use as Terminal 2.  You were allowed to go on the roof to see the planes take off, there were even swings up there for the children.   I remember clearly waving them off from the rooftop before making the long journey home.

 

 

 

The Visit

My grandmother had been invited to visit her son’s grave in the Cassino War Cemetery, Italy and also to attend the unveiling of the Cassino Memorial on Sunday 30^th September 1956. 

                                                                          

Overlooked by Mount Cassino these pictures show mother and daughter as they make their pilgrimage to Corporal Sydney ‘Johnny’ Bull’s grave.  I can only imagine what must have been going through my grandmother’s mind as she stood at the grave of her youngest son.  Just 23 years old with his whole life ahead of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Soldier

Corporal Sydney Bull was born 19 Oct 1920.   Syd was working as a clerk when war broke out in 1939. He first joined the Royal Fusiliers later transferring to the 56th Regiment Reconnaissance Corps. He soon found himself in the thick of the fighting.  According to his letter to my parents dated 26 September 1942 he had got engaged to his girlfriend Kathleen the previous Saturday. He was shortly  to be posted abroad.  A later letter I have finds him with his regiment posted in the Central Mediterranean.   The date was 26 August 1943.  He states he had been there a year so he must have been posted soon after his engagement.  He does not give much detail for obvious reasons but he does say that things were very quiet at that time as the campaign was over.