大象传媒

WARTIME MEMORIES

My name is Lavinia , World War 2 began in September 1939, I was eight years old, it was the school summer holidays and I was staying with my older sister in Coalville Leics.
I was told about this and was soon back home in Burton-on-Trent with my mum and dad. They tried to tell me what it was all about.
As days and weeks went by I went back to school and soon things began to happen Siren鈥檚, Blackout鈥檚, things became worse as we had more Air Raids everyone had to carry Gas Masks and they had to be carried with you at all times, even in the classroom, I remember that if an Air Raid happened during the school day we all had to troop into the shelters which were in the school yard. As the months went by things like food and sweets started to be rationed.
If an Air Raid came during the night time we were told by the teachers we could stay at home in the morning but we must report for school in the afternoon, if we didn鈥檛 go to school in the afternoon we would be in serious trouble with the Headmaster as no one was allowed play truant.
No one ever thought this War would last for six years, I suppose I was one of the lucky ones, my dad did not have to go in the forces as he worked as an engine driver on the Railway.
We didn鈥檛 have any bombs in Burton-on-Trent where I lived but it was not a happy time in my life or any one else鈥檚. The worst night I remember was the night Coventry was bombed, my dad was at work and there was just me and my mum sheltering in the pantry under the stairs the only light we had was from a candle, we were really frightened, we could see the search lights in the sky and even hear the bombs, this went on all night.
I did get a bit of excitement when I was ten years old in 1941 I was asked to be bridesmaid at my cousin鈥檚 wedding, in 1941 clothing coupons came into being and this made it difficult to get clothing.
As the war progressed we had evacuees come into the town so we had more children coming into our schools, I made friends with one of them and I am still friends with her sixty year鈥檚 on.
When food was rationed it was very hard to make the weekly amounts go round as we had only very small quantities for each person in the house ie. Bacon&ham 4ozs.
Sugar 8ozs.
Butter 2ozs.
Cooking fats 8ozs.
Meat (rationed by price) 1shilling
Tea 2 ozs.
Cheese 1 ozs.
Jam 2 ozs.
Plus 16 points a month for other rationed foods if available.

My father had extra rations of Tea, Cheese and sugar because he was an engine driver and needed to take packed lunch鈥檚
Clothing was also rationed every one had 66 coupons per year, a man鈥檚 suit took 26 coupons, a woman鈥檚 woollen dress 11 coupons, even a tie needed 1 coupon or 2 ozs. of knitting wool.
Oranges and bananas vanished from the shops. My dad had an allotment which provided us with most vegetables, from which all waste cuttings were kept for rabbit or pig food.
5inches of water for a bath soap was rationed of course, most people didn鈥檛 have bathrooms, they had to use a galvanized tin bath and share the bath water with other members of the family.
War came to an end in 1945, I left school at 14 on a Friday and started work on the following Monday at the Co-oP. My working hours were 8.30am until 6.00pm with 1.00 hour for lunch, Monday to Saturday, half day was on a Wednesday, my first weeks wages was 拢1-4s-6d my normal working week was 47 hours.

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