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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Sheila Knight. She fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

A Leicestershire Schoolgirl鈥檚 War

On September 3rd 1939, I heard with my parents the wireless announcement that 鈥渢his country is at war with Germany鈥�, little realising hostilities would last another six long years. I was still at the Church of England Junior School in Wigston Magna and walked approximately four miles each day to get there and back from my home in Wigston Fields, as did others in my age group who lived in the same locality. On the first occasion that the air raid sirens sounded, all the children and teachers collected their coats and gas masks before going into the partially underground shelter. One of the girls mischievously suggested we all sing to 鈥渒eep up our spirits鈥�. The teacher in charge agreed. Unfortunately we made so much noise that the 鈥渁ll clear鈥� siren went unnoticed and we were still there singing when an irate headmaster came to find out what had happened.

The war continued into 1940 and some foodstuffs were in short supply, although we always seemed to have enough vegetables. Petrol rationing had begun and many people no longer used their cars. Traffic was very light thus making riding a bicycle for miles around Leicestershire a real joy even though all the signposts had been removed. On a warm day in June I set off on my bike to South Wigston where I soon realised that something unusual was going on. Before long I caught up with a long column of soldiers marching from the railway station towards Glen Parva Barracks. Not one of them had a complete uniform; they were part of the British Expeditionary Force some of whom had escaped from France at about the time of Dunkirk. Some wore khaki trousers but no shirt, others had pyjama trousers with a jumper, very few had boots but wore slippers or canvas shoes. Many people came from their houses with cigarettes for the men. I found out many years later that my future husband was there with his mother looking for his eldest brother who had been serving across the Channel.

Air raids increased in the late autumn after the fall of France. One night the sirens sounded when my friend was staying overnight with us. Her parents, who lived about a 陆 mile away in a public house, were so worried they came to fetch her. It was decided we would all be in less danger in their cellar amongst the beer barrels. Whilst on the way we could see the sky glowing in the direction of Coventry. Many searchlights hunted for enemy bombers. An air raid warden questioned us but we were allowed to continue.

Our home was quite near to Leicester, being about a 录 mile beyond the boundary. Many houses within the city had been supplied with Anderson Shelters. These were made of curved sections of corrugated iron fitted together and half buried in the ground, then covered with soil. They were very strong and provided good protection. Because we were not entitled to have one, my parents decided to move the beds downstairs where it was supposed to be safer. Later in the war, some people acquired Morrison Shelters for use indoors. These were constructed in the shape of a large oblong metal box, with a sprung section inside large enough to sleep on. Many were used as dining tables. On the night of November 19th 1940 German bombers targeted Leicester so we had hardly any sleep. No sooner had one lot of bombs exploded than we could hear the next wave of planes coming in. Somehow I managed to get up the following morning to go to the school at Kibworth Beauchamp which I now attended: about half the class turned up. A nearby road was closed owing to the presence of unexploded bombs. About this time the children were taught how to use a stirrup pump in a bucket of water so that we knew how to extinguish an incendiary bomb should the occasion arise! Many windows had sticky strips of paper applied to prevent flying glass should a bomb fall nearby.

Most of the pupils travelled to school by special bus, those from my area arriving a bit late each day as our vehicle had previously delivered workers to factories.

All supplies of rubber went to the war effort; things became especially bad after the fall of Malaya to the Japanese. When starting at secondary school I was required to have a pair of black gym shoes with rubber soles; these eventually had to last for the next four years. The toes were cut out to allow for growth and, when a hole appeared in the soles, a piece of cardboard kept them going a bit longer. Food rations were reduced as many merchant ships were sunk. Fat was very short, the butter allowance at one time being 2 ounces per week per person. School cookery lessons were quite a problem; the amount of lard used in pastry mix had to be considerably reduced. Oranges were hardly ever obtainable. When a few did get through the German blockade they were all allocated to very young children. To supplement this shortage pupils at our school went into the countryside at weekends to gather rose-hips which could then be made into rose-hip syrup for babies. Fresh eggs were strictly limited and only available at certain times of the year when the hens were laying. They could be preserved in a pail for a short time in a solution of isinglass. Dried egg, however, sent from the USA, was a marvellous substitute. In the autumn those of us in forms below School Certificate level were collected from school to go potato picking. I believe we had to be over 14 years old to do this. All the children and staff were supplied with hot midday meals each day owing to the distance of the school from their homes. These meals certainly helped with the rations but, sometimes, were not very palatable. We were not allowed to leave anything on our plates.

A system of points rationing was introduced. Each person was issued with coupons representing points that could be exchanged for tinned goods, jam etc.; it was rumoured that the jam was produced mainly from swedes. All the family saved as many points as possible for Christmas so that we could have treats like a tin of salmon or 鈥淪pam鈥�, proper ham being virtually unobtainable. We certainly did not go hungry at this special time. Uncles, aunts and cousins all gathered at my grandparents鈥� house for a few days where we enjoyed singing round the piano and playing parlour games. One uncle could even play a musical saw.

Sweets and chocolate became very scarce; most went 鈥渦nder the counter鈥� so it helped if one knew the shopkeeper. Supplies improved greatly when sweet rationing was introduced in 1942. Coupons were issued to control the amount of clothing one could buy.

A dustbin was chained to the lamppost outside our house where housewives emptied their scraps of food to be used for feeding pigs.

My friend and I joined the Girl Guides. We took part in collecting waste paper and aluminium to help the war effort.

Some time after Italy entered the war, Italian prisoners of war were billeted in a large house nearby. They were transported by lorry to help on the local farms.

The blackout caused problems but we learnt to live with it. Buses ceased at 9pm so I had a long walk home from the Youth Club I used to visit. Some pavements had white paint at intervals along the kerb so that they could be seen more easily. Car headlights were blacked out, leaving just a narrow strip in the centre for light to pass through. No street lamps were lit. On the trains, tiny blue light bulbs were the sole illumination inside the carriages.

However, all was not gloom and doom. The cinemas were still open, and we listened to wireless programmes like ITMA with Tommy Handley, also Forces Favourites with Anne Shelton and Vera Lynn performing all the popular songs. We had social occasions and dances in the Church Hall.

Three of my uncles were conscripted into the armed forces but, thankfully, all returned safely. My father was employed producing socks for the forces and was deemed to be in a reserved occupation. There was great sadness in the family when we learnt that my second cousin had died at the hands of the Japanese on the 鈥渞ailway of death鈥� in Burma.

The war in Europe ended in May 1945. By that time I was in the 6th Form at school and we were allowed to listen to the wireless as news of the surrender came in. May 8th was designated as VE Day when everyone displayed as much bunting and flags as they could find. There was a huge party in Bell Street in Wigston Magna with lights blazing and music blaring. A young fellow I knew asked if he could see me home. We were married five years later. The Japanese surrendered in August after the dropping of two atomic bombs. At last it was over.

After the war shortages continued, food still being rationed. I was now employed by the Midland Bank, travelling to Nottingham on Mondays to Fridays and again for a half-day on Saturday mornings. The slow train had no heating, with thick ice on the inside of the windows. There were no fur boots in those days. Later, when I was based at a branch in Leicester, the staff often had to work by candlelight during a power cut. Many people queued with prams and handcarts at the local gasworks for coke to heat their houses.

When the war started I was a schoolgirl, a young woman when it finished. These years left a lasting impression on me.

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