Meryl Gearson:
Born in Sydney Australia, of Scottish and Irish parentage. Meryl served in the RAAF for the latter part of the second world war as a radar operator, assisting reconnaissance aircrafts and minesweepers searching for Japanese submarines and aircraft carriers.
It was here she met and became engaged to a British officer, during one of his tours in the Northern Territories.
When the couple arrived in London, her fiancee George died when he helped save a young child at the Doric Arch, Euston.
Meryl, stranded in a strange city and not knowing any of George’s family or friends, had to find employment wherever she could. Luckily, she could speak the language and became a “Nippy” at the Lyons tea house, Piccadilly. This is where Sir Damien and Meryl met. As it happened, his airline Airsupport was expanding its service to Sydney to cater for the “Ten pound Poms” and numerous other personnel bound for Australia. Sir Damien wanted an Australian national to help serve this route.
Meryl always thought she would stay home after her first trip, but now she knew she could return whenever she wanted. So she stayed on. Then the strangest of coincidences happened in 1954!
Trivia: Meryl arrived in Great Britain in 1946 on the infamous "The Ship of Brides" aka HMS Victorious. The Royal Navy Aircraft carrier that brought seven hundred Australian brides to be reunite then with their British husbands. Meryl was on-board to be reunited with her fiancee George. "The Ship of Brides" is the main feature in Jojo Moyes book entitles "The Ship of Brides" in 2005. No mention of Meryl is made (Prehaps as she wasn't married at that time).
ISBN 978-00340-96038-7
