大象传媒

When my father came home from work, he would sit for a while to read the Daily Telegraph. Often, I would sit on his knee trying to pick out words. It was the time of the Atlantic convoys and the papers were full of the Liberty ships.

A few days later, I was with my Mum when she visited her friend, Mrs T. Suddenly, 'A' her daughter appeared in the doorway, saying, "Mum! Where's my liberty bodice?" Making a possible connection to liberty ships, I asked "What's a liberty bodice?"

I can still remember the shocked silence, as 'A' was shushed out of the room. You simply didn't mention women's undergarments in public. I can still remember the public outrage, later on, when posters advertising brassieres appeared on the London tubes.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.