大象传媒

During the first year of the War i had several changes of school. I went to a school in Boscombe for a few weeks, returned to London and my old Maryland point, Stratford school, evacuated to Rowhedge where there was half day school alternating with the local children, re-evacuated to Great Comberton when i was sent to a school in Pershore, back to London and Maryland Point: a new start at West Ham High schooland evacuation to the girls grammar school in Faringdon with some of the West Ham teachers.

The West Ham girls in Faringdon were then re-evacuated to Truro. I did not go as my Mother wanted to remain in Faringdon, so i stayed, with permission of the education authorities at Faringdon girls school. During the summer holidays of 1943 i went to stay with a friend who had returned to her home in Upminster. When i returned my Mother informed me that she had removed me from school and had obtained a job for me at the local Lloyds bank. So with no prelimanry interviewand no acceptence from me, i started work sometime in the middle of august at 14years and 3 months old at a wage of 拢1.27 for a five and a half day
week. All very bewlidering as i didn't know what to expect. My first job was to go into the cellar daily and file the previous days cheques, horrible cellar and horrible job, ink wells filled, pen nibs replaced and blotting paper changed weekly and all hand written paper work relating to transactions was done in triplicate - two copies of all work done were sent to head office and to a Collumpton Clearing house daily (In case Head office got bombed)

Apart from cheque filing i enjoyed the work and was soon using the ledgers and preparing statements.

New bank notes used to arrive by post and when recieved at the post office i used to accompany the Cheif Cashier to collect the HVP (high value package) which comprised 拢500 in new notes. They then had to be counted. In 1946 when the original bank staff had been demobbed and returned to work, i transferred to Threadneedle Street hoping that my Mother and Brother would move back to London, facing the tube rush hours and the winter of the power cuts, Faringdon beckoned and i managed to get a transfer to Old Town, Swindon Branch and returned home to Faringdon.

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