´óÏó´«Ã½

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by the Barnsley Archives and Local Studies Department on behalf of S E Mils and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."
My husband was a miner so he was not called up in to service. He wouldn’t let me work in munitions so I worked in the Post Office and did potato picking instead. I joined the Savings Movement, collecting money and changing it for stamps. People bought saving certificates. It was all for the war effort. Me and mum would stand at the bottom of Millgate Street and we had a shell. We asked people to cover it with stamps. It was amazing how much money people were giving. It was work that had to be done.

I remember I had three frightening experiences during the war. I remember Monckton getting bombed. That was really frightening. But the next day everyone got dressed up to go and look at the crater. People were enjoying it. I also remember that the end of Millgate Street was fire bombed and watching the planes go over head at night. I also remember the Sheffield bombing. I had a cousin in the Merchant Navy and he told me all about the ships that got bombed.

Everyone was really friendly during the war. There has never been such a time for friendship. Children were given everything they could be given. Everyone was more protective of children. Luckily in this area we had very little trouble. We would pray for those in the military. I remember when George Derby was killed, his mother was sobbing.

We would go on trips from Royston station to Leeds, it cost half a crown. We always went to Lewis’ and got bacon sandwiches to bring home. We would also call at Wakefield and go to the black and white pork shop. You had to think all the time what meals could be made. But we always seemed to manage. In Notton, we grew our own veg, so there was always plenty, but I missed the sweet stuff the most. I used to go to Barnsley market to buy broken biscuits. I also had an auntie in Barnsley who could get cigarettes and pipe tobacco.

There were two cinemas in Royston — the Ace and the Palace. Watching Pathe news was one of the main things.

My husband joined the Home Guard. He went weeks without a gun and he practiced with a broom. When they did get the guns, they practiced at first by pretending with each other!

When the war ended we made buns for the children and had a bonfire at night. There were even bottles of beer. We always had a fuddle for any victory, we needed no excuses and everyone used to give. We went to Doncaster just as the war had finished, there were tables out in every street.

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