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As you probably do know, towards the end of 1944, food was very short, and people were definitely suffering and going hungry. There was news of the ‘Vega’ that was coming, or rather we knew it was going to be a ship to bring the Red Cross parcels. Everyone was hoping it would come before Christmas, but I believe it was shortly after that we had our Red Cross parcels. There were distribution centres set up.

I really don’t know how they organised it, but I do know that we at the Bas Courtils had to walk to the Chêne, by the Chêne traffic lights, one of those houses there, and that’s where we went to collect our Red Cross parcels. My mother would have pushed my brother in his pram, and me, we’d have walked and collected ours, and collected them for Mr Priaulx who lived with us at Ealing, or rather we lived with him. It caused great excitement, and there was food there that we hadn’t seen, or I hadn’t seen before. My parents, of course, would have remembered what real coffee and tea, and things like that were like, but I wouldn’t have. I had been brought up with the occupation food, so there was great enjoyment, and without a doubt, the Red Cross saved the island, and saved the local people, which the islanders have always remembered, and always to this day support the Red Cross in their activities.
MARGARET LE CRAS

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