大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Maggie Smith from WM CSV Action Desk on behalf of Marjorie Stephen and has been added to the site with her permission. Marjorie Stephen fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

From September 1939 until July 1944 I was a pupil at Barnstaple Girls鈥� Grammar School (N. Devon): I entered the school in the third form when my father had sent us from Essex to live with my grandparents. My mother joined us later.

1942-3 鈥� In the lower sixth, on Saturday Mornings, we had to carry out duties for the War Effort, and I remember the very sore fingers that we suffered from through tying lengths of webbing (mustard-coloured, dingy green and dark brown) into creosoted nets for camouflage. It was no good complaining 鈥� 鈥淭hink of the troops at war鈥�!

Another duty was to work at an orphanage for East End children and toddlers in a large house (Belle Vue) on a hill above the town. We either played with the children, which did not appeal to me, or painted drop-sided wooden cots. These came in a miserable dark brown and we had to paint them pale pink, pale blue or pea-green. Two of us, for a bit of a change, started to paint the vertical bars in a rotation of the three colours but were severely reprimanded by the matron and were made to feel very small. A memory of the house was the enormous magnolia flowers, lemon-scented, all over the front wall.

On Friday nights we had a rota, for six of us at a time, to work at the dismal YMCA. (All institutional buildings were dismal then). The tasks were to clear the tables and do the washing up. Fierce but kindly and humorous ladies kept an eye on the rather too familiar American soldiers and we tended to prefer the washing-up duties to clearing the tables. I was no good at banter! Conditions in the tiny kitchen were a bit grim 鈥� no detergent, soap only, no rubber gloves and horrid greasy luke warm water 鈥� but everyone seemed to keep very healthy! I was commended because I cleaned the underneath of the washing-up bowl. When we were on YMCA duty on a Friday evening, a whole crowd of us would go the pictures. Danny Kaye, Abbot & Costello were great favourites. Having to queue (for everything not only the cinema), was tedious. It could take ages.

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