Interview of Anne Vernon, 1, 2

Anne Vernon March 9 2011, June 29 2011 Born: Anne Leith Fraser, July 16, 1926 in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Born at a home called Balgownie. One brother, William (Bill) Fraser. Very good at sports as a young boy, he was the only male descendant on the Fraser line, and was quite favoured as a result. During the War, the headmaster told their mother that he should be sent away, as they lived so close to the docks in Glasgow, "a magnet for young boys". He went to Keil Boarding School and did well there, playing cricket, rugby and golf. Served in the Army. Worked at the Lochrin Iron Works for a time. Married a woman named Penny in what was then Rhodesia, and had 2 sons and 1 daughter. They live in South Africa at the time of interview. When Anne was 17, she "ran off" and joined the "wrens" (Women's Royal Naval Service, WRNS). She attended training in Mill Hill in London. She describes playing on the carts used for transporting wire in the family business as a child. She describes how jobs were held for people when they left for the War. Anne attended school at age 5, and found it "very difficult". She remembers playing sports with all the boys in the fields off the avenue she lived on. At age 11, she went to Parks School (all girls) in Glasgow. She played field hockey, tennis, and swam. She left school at age 16 because her brother was going to boarding school, and signed up to join the "Rens". She had started by volunteering, sending packages to Prisoners of War held in Germany. The packages were mostly clothes (socks), as well as canned goods. Her cousin was a lorry driver for the Army, which encouraged her to find her own path and join the Wrens instead. She had been trained as a typist after leaving school at Glasgow Commercial College, which was her lifelong career to an extent. She is unsure why she didn't choose the Airforce, as her favourite Christmas gift as a child had been a model airplane set. She has always had an interest in engineering and architecture. After being trained in Mill Hill, she was posted to Chatham, Kent, and later to Gillingham. She served in the North Tower, D-Day had come and gone. Anne and other ladies in the Wrens would go into London to see ballet and theatre with actors like Alan Klunz. They served 24 hours on, 24 hours off. She met a man ("Kit") and eloped with him in Scotland. Mother: Maiden name Leith, from Aberdeen, Scotland. Maternal Grandfather: Leith. Licenced grocer of some repute, large shop on Union Street in Aberdeen, served on the Police Board. Maternal Grandmother: Anne (Annie) Anderson. Died before Anne was born. When Anne was doing market research for the Scottish government in the north, her grandmother was remembered as a gentle, elegant lady by people 30+ years after her death. Father: Alan Inglis Fraser. Born 1898/99. Had 3 sisters. He had "ran away" with a friend age 16 to join the First World War. Member of the Lovat Scouts. He rode a motorcycle as a dispatch rider. His friend was injured in the trenches on his 15th birthday. In 1938, travelled to the States to look for the latest thing in wire machinery, because it was known that another War was coming. His father ran Lochrin Iron Works. Passed at age 43, when Anne was 16. Had spleen issues. Several people in the same age group who had served in the trenches with him passed suddenly around the same time. Paternal Grandmother: Born in New Elgin, her mother had been widowed early on in life, and remarried. Met in Alan's father in Johnson's Sawmill. Life was tough at that time, you had to walk everywhere in Elgin. Paternal Grandfather: William Fraser. From Lochrin, family of 12 boys. Worked at Lochrin Iron Works, and eventually became managing director, until government officials took over the company upon his death. Married in Edinburgh. Anne was working as a fundraiser for children impacted by violence until shortly before this interview. Ex-Husband: Bertram "Kit" William Ernest Wells. Mother from somewhere near Fife/Arbroath, she would claim her father was a Pirate. She was a Plymouth Brethren. Kit was a "naval type" who worked in Communications. Kit went out to Malta in the 1950's and Anne followed him. They were stationed there for 2 years and had 2 children, a boy and a girl (Tory & Patricia). Things were too difficult and they were not working out, and the station in Malta was being shut down. Anne describes the political state of Malta at the time. There was a large religious presence in the area. After returning to Scotland, Anne left Kit, and moved in with her mother, along with the 2 children. Anne returned to college to upgrade, and went back to work in various offices in Glasgow to support her family, while her children attended school locally. She received a small monthly pay from the Navy. She would travel about 12 miles into Glasgow by train or bus. Anne describes how it was common for people to drink "whiskey and water" in their teenage years, when you were an adult, you were given "sippers" – a straight shot of whiskey. Binge drinking meant many people did not survive their 21st birthdays. Anne would attend shows at Green's Play House in Glasgow by herself as a young woman. She had been introduced to classical music in school and loved it. She was also a fan of jazz. She would have to sneak out because her grandmother was quite strict, though her mother approved. She recalls going ice-skating as a child. Anne went for a drink in Glasgow with her brother Bill in Feb. 1956. She remembers the students were collecting cans and coins for the local hospitals. Bill introduced her to some student friends of his, which is where she met her husband Gavin Vernon. He stayed in a house called "The Hovel", just off Great Western Road. They were married Dec 26, 1960, in Coatbridge. Husband: Gavin Harold Russell Vernon. Born in Kintore (outside Aberdeen) August 11, 1926. At age 3 & ½, he visited his paternal grandparents with his mother. His grandfather was a minister with the Church of Scotland. In the time they were away, his father sold his practice and joined the P&O as a surgeon doctor. Gavin worked in for BICC (British Insulated Callender's Cables) electrifying the railway from Airdrie to Glasgow. He was an electrical engineer and eventually got his degree from the University of Glasgow. He had attended Strathallan Boarding School from age 11 on. He had a great sense of humour and was very clever. He loved school. He was "called up" to the military at 17¼, and served in the Army at the Perth barracks. He served in Palestine. His best memory of his time there was pulling oranges right off the trees. He was later stationed in Cyprus, before returning to Glasgow and attending university. During the summer, the undergraduates had to take summer jobs related to their discipline. He often worked as a troubleshooter for Glasgow Transport. He commuted from Glasgow to London for work for a long time. Gavin worked in Egypt and in Saudi Arabia as a contractor later in life. Gavin never belonged to any particular political party. Father: Harold Russell Vernon. One of 4 boys and 1 girl. Father was a minister at Arbuthnott. Country doctor & surgeon. Lived with his new wife in Turnberry. Gavin only saw his father around 3 times from age 3 to 20, though he paid his school fees once. Mother: Catherine Jean MacGregor. Born in Dalhousie in the late 1800s, where her father was the estate factor. Taught a boarding school for girls from age 16 to 21, until she became a nurse. Youngest Theatre Sister in Scotland in her time. Ran the Edinburgh Infirmary Nursing Home during the War. Anne tells the story of when she heard the War was over, the night of "V-Day". She had been attending a film with a friend from the Wrens in Gillingham, when an announcement came over the speakers: the War in Europe was over. They followed the crowd onto the trains into London, and were separated due to the number of people. She was in front of the Buckingham Palace when Churchill and the Royal Family appeared outside. Anne remembers Churchill stepping out on a balcony with a cigar, waving and giving the "victory" sign. She missed the last trains out of town, and she ended up spending the night. Two guards let her tour the War Room and she saw the red phone Churchill had used. Anne talks about how many high ranking officers of the Second World War had served as junior officers in the First World War, which may have been to their benefit. Gavin had sent for a job application in northern Scotland, and was refused after 1000 people applied in the same day. He immediately went down to the Consulates offices, first to the American Consulate, where he found the service was rude, and then to the Canadian Consulate, where he was greeted kindly and given an application form. Canada was looking for engineers. He came to Toronto in June of 1963, then took a train to Regina, Saskatchewan. They were going to start liquid mining for pot ash, something completely new. Anne sold the flat they owned in West Glasgow, and flew with her two children to Canada. She was astounded by the weather in Regina. She would start a garden in May, and had harvested two crops by September, when they travelled to Vancouver. Gavin was let go from the mine, and called H. A. Simons for a job in Vancouver. Gavin never technically adopted the children from Anne's first marriage, but they attended their parent's wedding, and had their last names changed to Vernon. Anne and Gavin rented a home in North Vancouver. Gavin travelled first by rail, and Anne followed in the car, with the kids, their belongings, two cats and two dogs. Anne got a job at Bell Irving. She also worked for the Federal Government as a secretary for the Department of Transport. Anne found out she was pregnant again at age 42, when Gavin was at work in Maine. She gave birth to their son, also named Gavin. He attended Waldorf School in Vancouver. H.A. Simons gave Gavin "an offer he couldn't refuse", and he accepted a job in Czechoslovakia. In the meantime, Anne offered her services as a typist in exchange for an architect to do the planning on their home renovations. Gavin did all the electrical design on the home. Anne followed with young Gavin, flying into Prague from London. Gavin attended school in Vienna. Anne worked part-time for H.A. Simons in the local mill while they were in Czechoslovakia. Young Gavin was relocated to Strathallan School. The family lived in Aberdeen for a time. They still owned the house in Vancouver. Gavin worked in France for a time, as well as Holland and Saudi Arabia. She laughs that their furniture has crossed the Atlantic 3 times. Gavin Vernon's famous removal of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey in London on Christmas Day, 1950, started in Glasgow, while he was a university student. They bought a car – Gavin, Ian Hamilton, Allen Stuart in one, and Kay Matheson transported the larger piece in her car. The students were members of the Scottish Covenant Association. Anne says that the film on the event was fairly accurate, although it left a few moments out. The border was closed between Scotland and England at that time. The stone was broken at the time – they planned to put the pieces back together with a copper pipe. When they heard the Queen Mother was going to make a call out for the return of the stone, Gavin said it was enough, and left the stone at Arbroath Abbey, before notifying the police and media. The incident had sparked a manhunt across the country. They were never charged. Gavin and Kay spoke a little Gaelic, a police officer understood them speaking to each other. The movie based on the event was called The Stone of Destiny. Anne describes it as a "prank that lifted people's spirits". The War had made life difficult and dull, and the event gave the Scots "something to think about". Anne talks about the modern push for independence in Scotland. Gavin went into hospital Jan. 26, 2004, at which point he learned he had inoperable lung cancer. He fought with radiation treatment, and chose to live his final days at home. He had the Burns Supper organization run his memorial services. He passed away March 19, 2004. In the years since Gavin's passing, Anne has been involved in Elder's College, attending and arranging classes on a wide range of subjects that interest her. She volunteered with the Westminster Historical Society, publishing a newsletter.