大象传媒

July 1939. Harry, (my husband), myself and our ten months old baby, Barbara, all went to Morecambe for our annual holiday. The unrest in Europe wasn鈥檛 good and war was declared with Germany that September.
Harry was a chauffeur/gardener at a private school and we had to go with them, when they evacuated everyone to an old castle in Kirkby Lonsdale. Everyone thought it would be all over in a couple of months. We were wrong. We gave up our home in Blackburn, stored some of our furniture and took the rest with us to our place, in our new town. We new straight away that we had made the wrong decision. After two months, I returned with Barbara, staying with my parents. Harry served his month鈥檚 notice and then rejoined us.
The next few months were most anxious. I found I was pregnant again, and here we were without a home of our own. Harry got work as a chauffeur/gardener at a country mansion in the small village of York, six miles from Blackburn. We were fortunate to get and old worldly cottage in York village and moved there in the February of 1940. The beginning of a very happy life in a very happy home.
In the May, I gave birth to our second daughter, Doreen. Harry was one of the most thoughtful of men. It was always nice to have him around. He wasn鈥檛 a very strong man and we never thought that he would be called up to fight, as the results of the medical he had, weren鈥檛 very good. However, in the September of that year, he was ordered to report to the R.A. South Lanc鈥檚 Regiment. Heavy Ack Ack guns.
We didn鈥檛 see him for four months that time and then he was drafted to Walney Island. The coldest, most bleakest place to spend months living in a tent on the beach. Nobody undressed for ten or more weeks as they were all on the guns every minute of the day. Unfortunately, this started spinal troubles for Harry, which eventually caused his release from the army. How we enjoyed having him home on leave.
I was kept very busy with the two young children. Our cottage was three quarters of a mile up a very steep hill. Going down into Langho village, wasn鈥檛 bad. Coming back home, pushing the two children in a pram wasn鈥檛 so good.
I was a confectioner by trade and most of the people in York village, would save up their rations of butter and sugar, etc. bring them to me and I would hold baking sessions for them. We were lucky being in the countryside as most people dug up their gardens and grew vegetables. We could have a potato pie with onions in. We rarely had meat as well.
We could get plenty of milk. We used to pour it into bowls, and leave it overnight in the freezing cold pantry, (we didn鈥檛 have fridges). Then we skimmed all the cream off the top and put it into a wide topped bottle, corked it and took turns shaking it. When it had separated, we would take out the small piece of butter and just add a little salt. The buttermilk we used for baking. We must have shaken hundreds of gallons this way.
We鈥檇 go to the butcher for bones and then these were stewed for hours. This was then strained and left to stand all night. In the morning the layer of dripping on the top was used on our bread. Once again with a pinch of salt. The stock was then made into soup.
A large tin of minced pork would be opened and the surrounding fat would be used to make pastry. The meat was then mashed up with a thick slice of bread that had been soaked in water and squeezed. This was then mixed up with the meat to make about six, saucer meat pies. They were lovely. I often used liquid paraffin to make pastry with and no one was ever ill afterwards.
Harry had now been moved. He was at Grimsby on the Coastal Defences. It was a very tough time for all concerned and we were so relieved when he was posted to Derby and put in charge of a cookhouse. Harry was a good cook and I knew he would make the most of the food he was given.
He was then made batman to a Captain Hanway. He was a doctor and Harry was under his care. The doctor鈥檚 wife and children came to live with them in Derby. Harry made a good baby-sitter whenever he was off duty.
Back in the village one Easter, I had made some hot cross buns after saving up all the ingredients for weeks. I had also made some candied peel by simmering orange and lemon peel in what sugar we could spare. We didn鈥檛 throw anything away in those days.
I had made at least 200 buns that Easter. As I finished, my two daughters came rushing in from the front garden and shouted.
鈥淢ummy. The Germans are coming down the lane.鈥�
Of course, it was a group of our soldiers in tanks, but what a noise they were making. As they came to our cottage and saw the sign, hot cross buns, they all stopped and bought some. They sat in their tanks and ate them. My girls can still remember that incident.
That summer, the two girls, myself and a friend, went to stay with her brother in Derby. We had a marvellous time. The couple were very kind. They had no children of their own as they had wished, so they fussed over, and spoilt my two terribly. Later that year I was to hear that they were at last, to expect a baby. They have always said that it was because of our two girls visit to their house.
We had made some kind friends during this time, and also formed a group to keep the heavy Ack-Ack stationed in Derby. That Christmas, myself and the children were invited to a huge party in the town. Off I set on the train with my two children, the luggage and a pram. There were no taxis in Manchester at that time, so we all had to walk over a mile to the next station. When we arrived in Derby, my friend was waiting for us. What a happy time we all had.
The following summer, we stayed for, four days in Blackpool at the Palatine Hotel. It was luxury. This once again made possible by our friends in Derby.
During the autumn, my neighbour Hannah and myself picked lots of blackberries. We made jars of jam and bottles of wine. The wine was to be for the new year celebrations as both our husbands were due home. Unfortunately all leave was cancelled. The prospect of celebrating the new year alone didn鈥檛 do too much for our morale.
To cheer ourselves up, we decided to sample the wine. Hannah came over to my house and we sampled all seven bottles. The effects you can imagine. As Hannah tried to leave, she couldn鈥檛 even get off her chair. We laughed till we cried. There was no doubt about it, the wine had certainly lifted our spirits. When she managed to pick herself up, Hannah left for home, down the garden path to the lane at the bottom. After only a few minutes there was a loud banging at the door. It was Hannah again. Would you believe it, she couldn鈥檛 find her way home. Of course this started all the laughing and giggling again. I offered to escort her. It took us ages to get there, with all the giggling and carrying on but we did eventually make it, (even though she only lived next door). My goodness, was that wine potent. I somehow managed to make it back home later.
I had also made some Christmas cakes that year. Thirty in all. Everybody had deprived themselves for weeks to save up enough ingredients. My pen-friend in Canada helped tremendously. She used to send me parcels with the most wonderful things in. Tea, rich fruitcakes, dried fruit and tins of every description. She also sent crates of apples. We corresponded for over 65 years before she died.
My brother in law gave me an old amplifier. Did we have some laughs with that. I connected it up to the wireless by a long flex, and run it through the scullery. I left it in there. When you spoke through it, providing that the wireless wasn鈥檛 tuned into any station, your voice could be heard very clearly through the speaker. Just as if you were broadcasting yourself.
Unknown to my friends, I invited another friend Nancy, (she was only a teenager but so very clever,) and she used to talk in many different voices. She pretended to be many different people and talked on many different subjects: Even Lord Haw Haw. Nancy was never stuck for any thing to talk about. She used to mention the village and the people who lived here. Our friends were awestruck. It was great just to watch their faces as they heard the familiar names mentioned. Many a time, I would have to leave the room before I gave the game away as I tried to hold back the laughter. Of course I told them all about it before they left the house, but they were sworn to secrecy. They couldn鈥檛 tell anyone. The fun we used to have doing this had to last as long as possible. It gave us so much entertainment. It certainly brightened up our lives.
In late 1943 I received a message from the Red Cross to say that Harry was in Derby Infirmary and that he was asking for me. I packed my bags quickly and sent a telegram to my friends in Derby and off I went on the train.
He was in terrible pain and after a few days he was transferred to Bretby Orthopedic Military Hospital. There was nothing they could do for him. He was sent back to his unit and he resumed his duties. He was eventually discharged. Although he was ill, at least he was at home and safe with his family. During the latter stages of the war, he made pegged rugs to keep himself occupied and to help with the finances.
The war news was listened to intently, and when it started to go our way, we all looked forward to the end. At last it was very much in sight.
V.E. Day was celebrated in our village, much the same as everywhere, with the trestle tables in the best spot, and the children free to enjoy themselves again. All, that is apart from my Doreen. She was unfortunately ill in hospital at the time. We had to go every day to take her tea.
It wasn鈥檛 long before Harry got a part time job as the local postman. Things, then slowly began to get back together again.

Bertha Warren.
Langho. Blackburn.

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