During World War II, a lot of young women in Britain were in the army. Joan Phillips was one of them. She worked in a big camp, and of course met a lot of men, officers and soldiers.

One evening, she met Captain Humphreys at a dance. He said to her, "I'm going abroad tomorrow, but I'd be very happy if we could write to each other." Joan agreed, and they wrote for several months.

Then his letters stopped, but she received one from another officer, telling her that he had been wounded and was in a certain army hospital in England.

Joan went there and said to the matron, "I've come to visit Captain Humphreys."

"Only relatives are allowed to visit patients here," the matron said.

"Oh, that's all right," answered Joan. "I'm his sister."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," the matron said, "I'm his mother!"