M M Newsome

Moya Margaret SYKES (formerly Newsome) (nee Thomas) [2138101] was born in Withernsea, UK  on 13 May 1919.
Her father was in the British Army and the family moved to India when she was a girl. They lived in British Army camps and she was a governess to the smaller children when she was older.

In November 1940 she married Harry Newsome of the KOYLI's in Maymio, Burma. Unfortunately Harry got Cholera and died in May 1942. They had one daughter together Margaret Mauvreen Newsome, or Midge as everyone called her. Her family had been sent back to England in 1941 as her father had retired and war was closing in so as a widow she and Midge went back to England where she lived at Skipton Castle Gates with her family. Her father as ex Army was the Commissionaire of the Castle. During WW2 the Castle was used to store valuable items from the British Museum in London in case it got bombed.
She joined the WAAF on 3 February 1943 in Bradford, UK. In March she was sent to RAF Innsworth as most WAAF's were for introductory training. In March she was at RAF Halton, in April she was sent to Number 1 Motor Training School in Blackpool, UK, to learn how be a driver. She passed her test in June 1943 and was sent to the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment at Sherburn-in-Elmet. This base was designing and testing glider and parachutes in preparation for the D Day Landings...though she was just an Ambulance driver.

On 9 May 1944 she was transferred to RAF Driffield and 466 Squadron. Pretty soon she had met and fallen in love with an Aussie Wireless Operator William Desmond Sykes. They got married in Driffield on 15 January 1945, she was discharged from the WAAF on compassionate grounds on 3 February 1945, after 2 years service. On 23 April 1945 she had twin girls Louise and Ann Sykes and the family lived at Skipton Castle Gates while waiting for the war to end.
The war ended soon after and Bill was sent back to Australia. It was important to get the men and equipment back to Australia and it was 19 March 1946 before she would leave her home forever and sail away to Australia with her 3 children to reunite with her husband.
They boarded the Athlone Castle at Southampton the next day and sailed to Australia. the first port was Fremantle, WA, on the 15 April 1946 and with 3 children she was in all the papers as the biggest "family" on the ship. The ship sailed to Melbourne where she was met by the Red Cross on the 20 April  and put on a train to Brisbane, on the 23 April they  arrived in Brisbane and were met by relatives of Bill's. Then they had another couple of days train journey to Cairns and their new home.

Bill and  Moya had 5 more children. Moya was active in the Hospital Red Cross and volunteer community. Once a month for many years later a group of ten or so War Brides would have a Pommy Day, where they would meet up and chat about England and have tea and scones.