大象传媒

Dear Anna,
Here are some more memories of my childhood during the second world war.

As I told you, we always went to our Grandma's farm in Cumberland for our long summer holiday. We travelled by train from Warminster via Bristol where we changed trains for Carlisle. The stations had no names on them in case enemy agents were about. there were sometimes long delays due to air raids or bomb damage. We once waited on Crewe Station for four long hours. We loved being on the train however. We enjoyed staying on the farm. It was so different from our home in Wiltshire.

My Grandma was given a German prisoner of war from a nearby camp who was supposed to help with the general farm work. His name was Kurt and he arrived every day on an army lorry. I was told not to be cheeky or rude but not to be friendly either! I remember just staring at the unfortunate man as he ate his lunch in the outhouse.

My Uncle Bob was always about doing the work (now done by tractor) using a horse called 'Diamond'. We children loved to ride on Diamond's back as she pulled the haycart from the fields to the Dutch barn. It was all very tranquil, no noisy machines. Our other uncle worked at the nearby aerodrome so he was allowed a car. Only people who did work of national importance were allowed to use a car. The road around the farm was very quiet, Anna. I used to go with Grandma to collect eggs from the hen houses in the fields. We washed the eggs in a big stone sink and they were packed into boxes and sold.

Because there was a war on, listening to the news by the grown-ups was always very important. We children had to sit quiet as mice while the news was broadcast from our wireless set. There were no television sets then, Anna.

Grandma made butter every week using the surplus cream after the cows had been milked. It was hard work turning the handle of the butter churn. The home made butter was lovely.

Kurt did not come to the farm on Sundays. The prisoners of war stayed at the camp at Longtown.They were guarded by the army and some Home Guard volunteers. We never saw any prisoners other than Kurt.

We enjoyed our holidays so much. We played in the barns and fields all day long. I remember there were no icecreams or treats like that. However, I loved sitting in the hayfield drinking tea from an enamel cup watching the birds flying round while Uncle Bob and Kurt loaded the haycart.

At night I would lie in bed and hear the goods trains as they passed through the village from Scotland. Our uncles were also in the Home Guard and they went off in the evenings to their training.

It was a long time ago Anna, but I remember it as well as yesterday.

Love from Grandma

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