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At 14 I came back to our home in Coventry, to start work at Liggens in Vernon Street making high class ladies lingerie, the factory was repaired after being bombed, and it was in the top shops of terraced houses in Brock Street. Previously my sister worked there, when it was damaged in the bombing someone climbed up the high narrow rickety stairs to throw out the girl’s belongings I went with my sister we caught her apron as it was thrown out. Eventually a new Liggens was rebuilt in the next street.

Towards the end of the war my sister was expecting a baby, so she no longer had to be directed to war work as she had previously, you could do war work or go into the forces.

Thinking on these things had made me feel even more sure about seeing my mother’s youngest sister on a flying visit to Burrow Close oxford in a WAFF uniform ( looking really lovely) she was married, her name, Mavis Emery, nee Ives.

I should add we had great times at Oxford, on Sundays we all went to a farm fishing and swimming in the river at Eynsham using the back of my uncle’s lorry which was covered over. You were only allowed so much petrol for work, so if we were stopped my uncle joked he would say there were ‘pigs in the back’ which would have been ok for the war effort.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Pamela Williams and has been added to the site with his permission. Pamela Williams fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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