Norwegian Mariner

Our Father, Arthur Fon (1917-1988), was with his Merchant ship in Allied waters on 9th April 1940, when the German Nazis invaded neutral Norway, his country of birth.

While walking in Princes Park with her schoolfriend, our Mother, Christina nee Whitaker (1920-2023) met in 1940 with a group of Norwegian sailors, who they arranged to see at a later date.

Arthur turned up on this date as a stand-in. He was living in digs with others from the Norwegian Navy in Park Way, Liverpool.

Despite Arthur's limited English and Christina's protective father, the pair were married in St. Pauls Church, Belvidere Road, situated in Princes Park on 22nd August 1942.

During the war, Christina had several war related jobs e.g. in a parachute making factory and munitions factory in Fazakerley.

They were both under great stress through enemy action, Christina having to walk to and from work through deep broken glass and smouldering embers, never knowing if her beloved family would be alive when she got back. Arthur, being deployed with his shipmates under the British Merchant Fleet as outriggers to the Atlantic Convoy conveying supplies from USA to the Allied Forces. He was also involved in delivering supplies at the D-Day Normandy Landing (6th June 1944).

As all wartime activities were strictly secret, there was no possible outlet for these stresses for either of our parents.

After 8th May 1945 Christina and Arthur visited Arthur's farming family, resulting in their first born - twin girls, Christina and Anita on 18th July 1946.