大象传媒

This story was gathered, written and submitted to the 大象传媒 Peoples War by Claire Taylor

Today most of us remember the Second World War through the films that we watch but for many the War was real and feelings and fears are more than a moving image on screen. I went to talk with Miriam Taylor who was a young girl of thirteen when the Second World War started, she lived in Portadown. 鈥淚 remember us all sitting round the radio listening to Chamberlain and telling us that the country was at war with Germany,鈥� remembers Miriam. She recalls how food became scarce as things got gradually worse in the war and the rations came in. 鈥淭he first thing I hated about it was the egg. It was old dried eggs we got and they were horrible. And there was no fruit, no bananas, no anything. And the children that were born then, the government gave them orange juice and cod liver oil, to boost them up. We had a ration book and there was 2 ounces of butter for each one in the house. I always liked butter and I thought it awful that there wasn鈥檛 much butter in the house. But then I can remember mummy getting country butter from people in the country, they made there own butter and it was great. And then the buttermilk and mummy made her own bread, for the bought bread was terrible.鈥� With the scarcity of food came the terrifying time when Belfast was bombed.
鈥淚 can remember whenever the bombing started the planes flying over Portadown, we could hear them, the drones of the planes and us all lying in underneath the table. It was so scary. It was an awful noise. We were really terrified lying under the table.鈥滱fter this incident Miriam recalls the floods of evacuees coming from Belfast to live with them and more vividly the sickness they brought with them. 鈥淚 remember there was an outbreak of diphtheria when they come up. And I remember I was in hospital and I was near dying with diphtheria,鈥� recalls Miriam. 鈥淭he next thing I remember they said there was another patient coming in and we were all gogged to see who was coming and who walked through the door only my mummy. And I just put my head down under the bed clothes. I must have been in about a month and mummy was in five weeks.鈥濃�淚 do not know how everyone survived at home. There was our Walter and David and Maudie and she was only six. It must have been my grandfather that looked after them. My father was dead, he died from the effects of the First World War-he was gassed at the Somme and never was well since. He was only 39 when he died.鈥� Despite bringing sickness the evacuees brought some joy to Miriam. 鈥淚 remember some woman who came up from Belfast and she was a great sewer. She used to make me lovely dresses. We called them peasant dresses with big frilly waists and that was good. I don鈥檛 know to this day were they all slept though, I can鈥檛 remember. But I think my mummy was glad to get them away because we just lived in a two bedroom house.鈥� The presence of British and American troops is also deep seeded in Miriam鈥檚 mind. 鈥淚 remember there were many British soldiers stationed over in Portadown and the girls were all going mad about them, but I was too young! After Pearl Harbour the Yanks came to Portadown. They seemed to have plenty. They鈥檇 be going about in their lorries and they were throwing out chewing gum and sweets to the youngsters. We thought they were great. The girls that were going with them, they got plenty of nylons!鈥�
From dried egg, to diphtheria to flocks of nylons, Portadown certainly had its own memories of the Second World War. And for those that lived through this time their own personal memories will always be etched in their minds.

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