大象传媒

Explore the 大象传媒
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

大象传媒 Homepage
大象传媒 History
WW2 People's War Homepage Archive List Timeline About This Site

Contact Us

Tex Smith鈥檚 War part 6 - Prune Pie

by 大象传媒 Open Centre, Hull

You are browsing in:

Archive List > Books > Tex Smith's War

Prunes - The fruit of all evil?

Contributed by听
大象传媒 Open Centre, Hull
People in story:听
Mrs Kirkby
Location of story:听
South Ferriby, Hull
Background to story:听
Civilian
Article ID:听
A8411807
Contributed on:听
10 January 2006

Early in 1942 dad arrived one Saturday morning in South Ferriby and announced to mum and I that we were to return to Hull with him that day. He had managed to find us a new home and, interestingly, Granny Violet and June would also be returning to Hull with us. So we packed up our few belongings and, with mum carrying Colin and myself proudly holding Dads hand, we rode away on the bus after waving goodbye to the many friends Mum and Gran had made in the delightful village of South Ferriby; our temporary evacuation home of one and a half years. I was even given a smoky kiss from Mrs Kirkby.

Father had managed to rent a front house with two bedrooms down Clyde Street, off Hawthorn Avenue, only about two minutes walk from his mother's house in Ringrose Street. I was enrolled at Wheeler Street Infants School.

One of my main pre-occupations was to crouch over the grill on the pavement, in front of the school, which was positioned over the cellar which accommodated the cinders stock which fuelled the school's central heating system.

I had quickly learned to read and I was rewarded with my first School book prize for reading out to my infant classmates that charming book, "The Little Red Hen". Every day or two mother would ask me to walk to the Bakers on Hawthorn Avenue to purchase a fruit pie. I would lake the money and hurry off to the Bakers to gaze expectantly in the window and smell the delicious aroma of the pies being baked. Into the shop I would go and make my purchase and off I would return home with the still warm pie. Into the house and hand over the pie to mother. I would stand there crestfallen whilst mother would unwrap the pie and cut it open. "Tex, whatever will we do with you? You have brought me yet another prune pie. The next time you must remember to choose another type of pie; there must be other nice flavours such as raisin.鈥 Anxious to please I would always promise to do that the next time.

Next door lived the Fish family and I became firm friends with lan Fish, the son, who was my age. Father was working at Amos and Smith's, the engineers at the bottom of Neptune Street, as a marine engineering turner during the day. In the evenings he was reporting for Home Guard duty a couple of nights a week, but still managed a pint or two of Hull Brewery Mild several times a week.
____________________________________________
Added by Alan Brigham - www.hullwebs.co.uk

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

Archive List

This story has been placed in the following categories.

Books Category
icon for Story with photoStory with photo

Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the 大象传媒. The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. For any other comments, please Contact Us.



About the 大象传媒 | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy