The Wedding day, June 5, 1948

One member of the Smart family had such a severe case of wedding nerves they needed help getting dressed! Not the bride, but her dad, my Grandpa Bert. His hands were shaking so hard that Mom had to knot his tie.

Mom was at the height of fashion and perfect example of the New Look in her blue crepe dress with a pink hat and matching gloves. Dad was quite the dashing American in the suit he had bought in New York. She carried a bouquet of yellow Gladiolas, always one of her favorite flowers, and Ruthie carried a bouquet of pink roses.

At the St Mary’s Cathedral
in the Cardinals Chapel a friend sang as Mom walked down the aisle and was married to Dad in front of family and friends. One notable absence was the mother of the bride who had chosen not to attend the wedding in protest of it being held at the Catholic Church over her severe objections. The reception, held at the Bondi Beach Lifesavers Hall, a popular venue for dances and special events, had all the traditional elements; toasts, cake, dancing and best wishes from family and friends. The one untraditional and even shocking element was the dress that my grandma Madeline wore. She came to the reception dressed in black, a color reserved for mourning and not at all appropriate for a happy occasion in the 1940’s.

The newlyweds spent their wedding night at a fancy hotel in King’s Cross, a suburb of Sydney. The next day they went to the Kingsford Smith Aerodrome and Mom went on her first airplane trip to Brisbane, Queensland. Then they traveled by train to Rockhampton on what is now called the Gold Coast for a two week honeymoon.

A True WWII Love Story Part 6 - The New Look

After the shortages of the war, the New Look celebrated the end of rationing with full skirts and long lengths using lots and lots of fabric!

Mom decided not to have a traditional wedding dress but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going all out on her wedding outfit. She ordered a pink felt hat with a pink ostrich feather and had kid gloves dyed to match. A blue crepe dress was being custom made along with a black wool coat with a flared skirt, both in the new mid-calf length. She would be quite the fashion plate at her wedding! Her sister Ruthie was also getting a new outfit including a pink crepe dress, a pink hat with a feather, pink gloves and a string of pearls Mom had given her as a Maid of Honor gift.

There was one significant person who wasn't ordering new clothes for the wedding. Mom’s mother, Madeline, was unhappy with the thought of her new son-in-law and his desire to be married in the Catholic Church. At first, she tried to convince Mom to get married at the Church of England, but Dad was a staunch Catholic and insisted on Saint Mary’s Cathedral. When grandma saw that Dad wouldn’t budge she suggested getting married twice - once at the St. Mary’s and once at the Church of England, but Mom said that she wasn’t going to do everything two times. The couple decided that they would be married at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, regardless of her mother’s wishes. Because Mom hadn’t converted to Catholicism, they would have to be married in the Cardinal’s Chapel, which was still quite large and beautiful, instead of at the main altar. In addition, Mom had to promise that all of their children would be raised in the Catholic faith.

Finally, everything was settled and the wedding day was approaching quickly.

Next: Guess who's not coming to the wedding...

A True WWII Love Story Part 5 - Together Again

On the day the ship arrived in Sydney Dad was met by the entire Smart family. Mom was wearing a turquoise coat and when dad saw her, he let out a loud whistle. He had a very distinctive whistle. Mom recognized it right away and spotted him leaning against the railing while the ship docked. This photo is the Marine Phoenix, in service as a Liberty Ship in 1947, the ship my Dad bought passage on to go to Australia. It was later recommisioned as a USN ship. From what I have learned it was a very no frills trip!

After such a long absence between my mom and dad, it was like meeting for the first time all over again. Dressed in his civilian clothes Dad even looked different to Mom because she had only ever seen him in uniform. Dad stayed with the Smarts for a few days, sleeping on an outdoor balcony with only a blind between the outside world and him. It was a little awkward for everyone and he soon he found a job and a room in a boarding house. Taking advantage of the GI bill he also enrolled in school. During this time, Mom and Dad spent a lot of time talking, getting to know each other better and falling more in love. But there were a lot of fights too and the engagement ring was passed back and forth more than once. It seemed that all kinds of romantic notions had developed during a two-year courtship via love letters! Eventually they managed to come to terms and soon plans were being made for the wedding.

My goodness, what a terrible photograph! I think he needed a haircut, lol. Look back at the first post in this story, I added a photo which is much better.

Next: Our fashion forward bride-to-be

A True WWII Love Story Part 4

The war is over and the engaged couple are on opposite sides of the world. Neil has been discharged from the US Navy and is back home in Amsterdam, NY while Pamsy is still in the Land Down Under.

As mom was still underage, she needed her parents’ permission to leave the country and despite her repeated requests to join her fiancé in the United States, the answer was always the same. “You’re too young” and “You barely know him.” The last part was fairly true as it had been over two years since they had seen each other.

Dad, who if you remember always went after what he wanted, decided the only thing to do was to go back to Australia and marry her there. He had some money saved so he bought a bus ticket to San Francisco, California where he planned on getting a job on a ship and working his way across the ocean. What could be easier? He had just gotten out of the Navy and he knew his way around a ship, plus he was a hard worker and not fussy about what job he would be willing to take. However, he hadn’t counted on the Stevedores’ Union. Without a union card there was to be no work on a ship. Not giving up on his plan to go after his bride-to-be, he found a room and a job and started saving up to buy passage. In just a few months, he had saved enough for the trip partly because he shared a room with another man and got free meals at the restaurant where he worked. Dad always knew how to pinch a penny and get a nickel.

This is a photo dad sent to mom while he was in San Francisco, ever the romantic he drew a heart with an arrow and their initials on the side by his shoulder.

Coming next - Together again

Names please?

I just realized as I was talking to a new friend that I have not identified the people in my photos or told you my parents names - how rude!

Also I've been spelling Ruthy's name wrong it's Ruthie. I knew something didn't look right but it didn't click untill I typed Aunt Ruthy -oops!

Anyway, the handsome American is Neil Mantone - pic coming soon, for some reason I don't have any service pictures here. The lovely ladies are the Smart girls, Ruthie and Pamsy. The prim lady in the hat is Madeline Smart and the handsome Australian soldier is Albert Smart, Bert to his friends, Grandpa to me.

My mom's maiden name really was Smart. One of her favorite little jokes is to say "I was a Smart girl untill I got married!"

I don't know how exactly how Dad felt about that ;)

A True WWII Love Story Part 3

My dad, Neil, was a man who knew what he wanted and that was for Pamsy Smart to marry him. During the time he was in Sydney he asked her many times, but she being five years younger, had only just begun to date and wasn’t at all sure she wanted to be tied down to this US sailor. He was shipping out, and with all of the active fighting going on in the Pacific, who knew if she would ever see him again?

Thus, the letter writing began.

Mom would send photographs to Dad along with her letters with a sweet note on the back like this one, “To dearest Neil with love from the Smart family. PS I hope you like it darling. Love Pam”



Dad would send letters, photographs and love poems to Mom. Ever the romantic, one of his poems started with “My rainbows dear all end with you” and he had made a card with a sailor looking up at a rainbow with a girl at the top. When I was a teen-ager I thought it was terribly silly but now I think it’s very sweet and terribly romantic.

Through the course of the letter writing Dad somehow managed to convince Mom to marry him – maybe it was the poem? – and they became engaged through the mail. As it didn’t seem likely that Dad would be visiting Sydney again he sent Mom some money and she bought her beautiful engagement ring with it.

Coming next..
The war is over, Neil's back in the USA, Pam’s in Australia, what now?

A True WWII Love Story Part 2

After being hit by the car Dad ended up at a military hospital outside of Sydney. He tried to get in contact with Mom but the best he could do was to leave a message at her job as they didn't have a phone at the house.

Since the hospital was a train and bus ride from Sydney Mom wouldn’t be able to visit until the weekend. My Grandmother, Madeline, being a good Christian woman decided to take a day trip to visit the injured service man. Dad was more than a little surprised to see this prim and proper lady, complete with hat and gloves, arrive with a basket of magazines and other goodies. This was especially unexpected, as Grandma Madeline didn’t much care for the idea of Mom and Dad seeing each other. She thought that with his yellowish skin (from the malaria pills), dark tan and sun-bleached red hair that perhaps he was an Indian or Native American as we say now. On top of that, he was an American and a Catholic. Not exactly the sort of suitor she wanted for her daughter!

Mom did get out to visit him on the weekends and after 3 weeks, he was able to leave the hospital on crutches. Being on leave for a few more weeks due to the crutches Dad was free to continue his pursuit of Mom. Fortunately, Grandpa Bert liked Dad. He had a military background himself serving in WWI and WWII and being a man’s man they got along fine. So Mom was allowed to go to a few movies and dinners with Dad always taking Ruthy along as a chaperone. I don’t know if she was of any use, all she did was walk a few steps behind them and giggle endlessly!

All too soon, Dad was well enough to return to active duty and letters became their only means of communication.

Coming next: Poems and Love Letters

A True WWII Love Story

In 1945, Dad was a 22-year-old seaman in the US Navy aboard a PT boat in the Pacific during WWII, and Mom was a 17-year-old delivery girl living in Sydney, Australia with her mom, dad and 15-year-old sister, Ruthy. This is the story of their long and somewhat turbulent but very romantic courtship.

Sydney was one of the R&R ports for US troops and like many of his fellow sailors, Dad was in town to have some fun and hopefully meet some girls. He had an address of a girl he was going to meet and was having trouble finding the street when he spotted Ruthy and Mom. That’s his story anyway; I think it was just a good opening line.

Meanwhile my mom and my Aunt Ruthy had been out delivering advertising slides to the movie houses and were walking home. Using the pretense of needing help with the address my dad approached the girls. Both were very pretty but Ruthy with her white blond hair usually attracted more attention and such was the case on the walk home. Once they arrived home and Dad got a good look in some light he realized that Ruthy was much too young and switched his attention over to Mom. Not the most romantic start.

He asked her out and her father said NO but two days later let them go to an early movie. “Be home by 9” The date went well and Dad was on his way back to his ship that would be leaving in the morning when he was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital. Darn those Aussies driving on the wrong side of the road ;)! Mom says that’s when they really started to get to know each other.

to be continued….