Soldier's wife refused time to greet him

[thedrifter]

Soldier's wife refused time to greet him

A DEVASTATED teaching assistant has resigned from her job after she was unable to take time off work to greet her soldier husband on his return from the Gulf.

Newlyweds Mick and Marie Fellows, of Durrington, were desperate to spend some time together after his gruelling three months with the Royal Artillery's Divisional Support Group in Iraq.

When Mr Fellows returned home unexpectedly, his wife called her boss at Durrington Primary School and asked for a day off.

"We were so angry when she couldn't take it," said a shocked Mr Fellows.

"I'd been out there fighting for my country and risking my life and we weren't even given a few hours together for her to welcome me home.

"Other employers gave their staff two weeks off when they came back from the war - Marie was only supposed to be working two hours that day

but they couldn't even allow her that."

The couple married six days before Mr Fellows was deployed after they hurriedly brought their wedding forward.

"I was sent out at very short notice but we wanted to be married before I went," he said. "Obviously, those few days were very stressful for us both.

"When you go to war, you don't know what might happen to you, and when you get back, all you want to do is spend time with your family, but we weren't given that chance."

Mrs Fellows immediately resigned from her position as a special needs teaching assistant, which was a job she loved.

"It spoiled the homecoming," she said.

"I wanted to go to meet him like the other wives did.

"It was a nightmare with my husband away - we couldn't speak on the phone once the war started and it was a constant worry.

"Luckily, I have managed to find another job and friends have rallied round but I have been very upset by the whole thing."

Contacted by the Journal, headteacher at Durrington Primary School Neil Ruck said he was more than reasonable but had to put the needs of his pupils first.

He said: "Mrs Fellows was given time off work before her husband went away and we were very sympathetic.

"Indeed, I said she could take some time off on his return, although I was not happy about it and said the decision must rest with her.

"When you take a job like this, you have an obligation to the children, and they need stability in the classroom.

"I have other staff with partners in the military and if I let them all have time off, then the school could not function.

"Sadly, it is a fact of life in this area, and I feel the school did all it could to support its staff in this position."

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wil...MES_NEWS0.html


Sempers,

Roger