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I was just 11 years old when war was declared in 1939 and in that September I had just started at the senior school. Moving from an all girls’ junior school, I had been looking forward to going to a mixed school. However, that was not to last long as by the following September our school had been taken over by the Armed Forces and various Regiments were billeted for several months at a time. On leaving Ulverston they usually had home leave before being sent abroad to wherever they were needed for the war.
I was only young and memories are a little vague, but I do remember that over the time, among others, we had the Kings Own Scottish Border Regiment, the Hampshire and Royal West Kents and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Towards the end of 1944 we had Americans based in the School.
During the time the soldiers where in Ulverston, the cinemas were full every night and no girl was ever without a partner at the Coronation Hall dances. Residents were asked to make the soldiers welcome and invite them into their homes, especially around Christmas times. We had several made welcome in our home over the years; the last one being an American called Dan. By this time I was 16 years old, I met Dan when I was at one of the dances with a few of my friends. He was just 18 years old, having celebrated his birthday on the ship coming over to England. He was made welcome in my home by my mum and dad. He loved going to the Canal Tavern for a drink with my dad, as they did not have any like that where he lived in America.
I remember Dan mostly for providing us with the best Christmas we had had since the war started and food rationing began. He had received a Christmas parcel from home that he shared with us. Mums face was a picture as he presented her with a Christmas cake (our rations had not been enough to enable her to bake one), a bag of sugar, which was like gold dust, a selection of chocolate bars and biscuits as well as packets of chewing gum. Doesn’t seem a lot to have made that Christmas special, but at the time it really did.
Early in 1945, the Americans left Ulverston and I never saw Dan again, but I did receive a parcel from him sent from Holland soon after they left England that contained a pair of wooden Dutch Clogs.

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