大象传媒

'This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Gwilym Scourfield of the County Heritage Team on behalf of Carol Facer and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

Stewed Food, Few Treats, No Dad, but Happy Childhood Days during the War.

I was almost four years old at the start of the war, living in Kings Standing, near Perry Barr. It is about twelve miles from Birmingham. Dad volunteered and was accepted into The Royal Warwickshire (Later he was transferred to The REME). I remember mum crying when dad was posted away. I said,
鈥淒on鈥檛 worry, Mum, we鈥檒l get another dad.鈥� I think about it now and don鈥檛 think that would have been that comforting! Mum worked, so I was admitted to school earlier than most children.

One early memory was, having to part with my lovely, bright red and blue Mickey Mouse gas mask. They were for the under fives. As soon as I was five I had to go with mum to the fire station to exchange it for a ghastly khaki one, like everyone else鈥檚! There were more than a few tears over that. Carrying the box to school every day was as much a part of going to school as sitting in front of the blackboard.

I remember huge tanks of water on street corners. They were for fire emergencies. I don鈥檛 suppose I realised that then, but they seemed so much part of the landscape, they were missed when they took them away after the war. During a daytime raid we all packed into the school shelter. The worst bit of that was, having to sing 鈥淭en Green Bottles鈥� over and over again. I suppose the teachers thought if we were all making lots of noise, we might not hear the dreadful sounds of the aircraft.

There were quite a few raids. I don鈥檛 remember ever being particularly afraid. The day after, I used to go out with the boys next door collecting up bits of shrapnel. It was a competition to see who could find the best bits 鈥� biggest and most were the goals of the exercise. After a while, we stopped rushing out after every siren into the Anderson shelter in the garden. We slept under the dining table instead or went into the cupboard under the stairs. It was exciting, rather than frightening. I can even remember watching aircraft dog fights overhead. We knew the difference between 鈥榦ur鈥� planes and 鈥榯heir鈥� planes. Some bombs did fall locally, but not actually on our road.

We missed our dad. I don鈥檛 believe we saw much of him at all for those early years. My sister was two years younger. Another problem in those days was the shortage of drugs. My little sister lost an eye as a result of a measles infection. She had an artificial eye from the age of two. I remember, too getting scarlet fever. They had a disinfection sheet draped over the door.

School food was terrible. Supplies came from the British Restaurants. You could get a meal for a shilling; six pence for a child. If you brought your own plate, you could take it home. They were served from huge 鈥榤ilk churn-like鈥� containers 鈥� dark brown, thick stew. You could smell the boiled cabbage half a mile away. This same stew was even worse when it was served in the school. We were made to feel very guilty if we didn鈥檛 eat it all, but I sometimes found it impossible to finish it.

Our little community of houses was very friendly. No one ever locked their doors. Sharing cups of sugar or borrowing a half a cup of tea leaves was everyday. There was a great camaraderie. I remember happy long summer nights. Neighbours helped each other and shared responsibility for looking after us children.

One day we had a wonderful surprise. A parcel had arrived from Africa, where dad was on active service. Neighbours gathered to watch its ceremonial opening. Inside a wooden box were packed nine lemons. I don鈥檛 believe I had ever seen them before. They must have looked and smelled very exciting. Mum played a trick on one of her best friends. She took all the juice out of a lemon and resealed the two haves of the skin with glue. It was a great laugh. Mum gave her a proper one after that.

Dad was fighting with distinction. He was mentioned in despatches. He was then a Sergeant in the REME. I never did discover exactly what he did. After the war he never talked about it. For about four years we didn鈥檛 see him at all.

At the VE party, I was dressed up as a gypsy. I had browned down my skin with cocoa. There was a huge bonfire in front of all the houses and all the tables were set around in the street. It carried on late into the night. There were so many treats. everyone had donated whatever they could to make sure it was a true feast.

Dad wasn鈥檛 there then. When he was due back mum made a huge banner out of a bed sheet. 鈥淲elcome Home Sergeant Bird鈥� was draped right across our house. My sister didn鈥檛 know him, but I was really happy, seeing him again.

I was avid reader; Enid Blyton鈥檚 Famous Five and Secret Seven were a transport into the lifelong pleasure of reading. The only doll I ever had was a china doll which had no clothes at all. It was devastating, the day it slipped from under my arm and shattered on to the floor. It was a time when small luxuries were very prized. At Christmas we had just one gift. Mum saved on her club card throughout the year to buy them. We had a few nuts, an orange and a few sweets. For all that, I remember a very happy childhood.

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