大象传媒

When war was declared the first thing we had to do was register for ration books and clothing coupons. We were not badly off as a family for food because my sister and her 3 children came to live with us from London so we did well with rations. Every saturday morning we went to the nearest garden centre for home grown tomatoes. You were allowed 1lb each. We came under the old East Riding in those days and Beverley was the main place. We were the dropping off place for troops. The first large contingent came from Dunkirk. They stayed at least a year for recuperation. I joined the Civil Defence in St John's ambulance. We went out on exercise and did night duty. I remember when bombers came over Malton they flew more or less roof top height. In those days we had 2 breweries and they used the tall chimmneys as landmarks. My father and 2 brothers were all in the Royal Navy. One was torpedoed twice but he managed to survive. We had quite a lot of land army girls around here, being an agricultural area. My eldest brother farmed at Thixendale where we stayed during school holidays.

There were 2 picture houses in Norton and Malton but with all the troops we had stationed here you stood little chance of getting in to see a film unless you started to queue very early for about 2 hours.

When troops were on exercise and those huge tanks came through, how they got around the corners I don't know as the streets were very narrow. We had regiments stationed here right to the end of the war, one of which was the First Batallion Royal Welsh Fusilliers and they were sent to Burma. I married one of them!

The only time I remember when the German bombers came over was when they bombed York. It was said they were trying to hit the large gas works near the River Foss. Norton was only 18 miles away and of course it was frightening.

We used to go to dances and the main one we went to was the Middleton Hunt Ball. I am ashamed of this now as I am much wiser and against fox hunting, but in those days we had a good time.

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