大象传媒

I was playing out with my friends in the fields near to where I lived,when my Dad shouted for me to come indoors.The radio was on and he was listening up close.War had been declared.I was 11 years old.Things changed forever.
I went to Asfordby school,at the side of it was a big field where the children would have PE lessons.One day as our class was in the field,we heard areoplanes coming close.We thought they were ours,but all of a sudden they dive bombed down and started firing their machine guns at us.The teacher screamed at us to run for cover into the hedges,which we all did.Luckily none of us were hurt,but we were very frightened.After that we had to have PE in the school hall.Maybe once or twice a week we had to help at a local farm,potato or carrot picking.We didn't get paid but the farmer gave us vegetables to take home.There was nine in my family so extra food helped.
My Dad worked near Melton looking after horses,but when war broke out he had to go and work at Holwell Iron Works for the war effort.We had to move to Whitwell near Retford because of this.We had an Anderson shelter in our garden and one night both Mum and Dad were out.My eldest sister Ivy should have been looking after us,but she was only interested in boys so she went out leaving us younger ones on our own.The searchlights were on and we were frightened.My Mum came back and wasn't very happy to find us on our own.Ivy had a good telling off.
In 1942 my Dad was taken into hospital,I remember waving to him as he was taken in the ambulance.That's the last time I saw him.He had the index finger of his right hand missing,and we would pretend ours was missimg so we could write like him.
Mum struggled after Dad died,she had to do cleaning jobs at public houses for 12s 6d a week.We had free milk and free school dinners.
Rationing had come in by this time which didn't make things any easier.You had to queue for everything.I remember we lived near a little railway station,and when us kids heard there was a delivery of sweets,we would buy a station ticket and queue for them.The station master got wise to us though.Sometimes for our evening meal Mum would boil onions from the garden and once cooked sprinkle them with cheese,or if we had no cheese we would eat them on their own.Another meal we had was soaked stale bread with spice and fruit.This was a very stodgy meal so it filled us up.We couldn't really afford new clothes,so Mum wouls swap our coupons for money.If we did have anything it was home made.Mum always reused tealeaves to dye faded stockings.If one of us broke a teacup,we would have to drink from a jam jar as we couldn't get new crockery.Mum always cut our hair,we all had the same style,basin cut.Once a week she would sit with a white towel on her knee,line us up and check our hair for nits.
My eldest sister Ivy got married when she was 18 to John who was a Paratrooper.I was a bridesmaid.Everyone helped out with material for the dresses and ingredients for the cake.They rented two rooms in a house in Grantham in the same street Mrs Thatcher lived in.They had only been together 3 weeks when John was put on standby to go overseas.He didn't know at the time but his destination was Arnhem.Soon after Ivy recieved a letter from the war office saying John was missing presumed dead and she started to get a war widows pension.She couldn't manage on her own so she moved back in with us.She got a job in the munitions factory.One day she came running in the house yelling at the top of her voice,she had recieved a letter from John telling her he was a POW in Germany.When the war office were told they said she had to pay back all the pension money she had recieved.How could she,it was spent.Ivy got a telegram from John telling her he was coming home,and he arrived on our doorstep the next day.The first thing he asked for was a banana,Ivy went all around the town,and queued for ages to get it.No sooner had he ate it,than he was violently sick,and he never ate another one in his life.He was very ill with Emphysema and could never hold down a proper job.
I got a job in a local hotel when I left school,and the US airmen held parties there.If they were pleased with our waitressing,they would give us stockings and chocolate.We girls would go to the local dance,and sit in a line waiting to be asked.If we danced with a GI we would get nasty looks from our own lads.
On VE day I was in Grantham,I had saved my money and bought myself a new coat.It was 'London'tan with a n brown collar.Unfortunately one of the shoulder pads got burnt by someones cigarette.
By VJ day I had met my future husband Colin.Again we were in Grantham.There was thousands of people in the town celebrating,only this time we knew war was really over.
These memories were told to volunteer Kathy Brady and written with Jean's permission.

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