大象传媒

My dad used to have a massive garden; he鈥檇 grow everything in it and we didn鈥檛 go short of vegetables and fruit.

We had a well and would water the garden from it. Everybody from the road used to say 鈥淐harlie, have you got a cauliflower or some cabbage.鈥� He鈥檇 say 鈥淎ll right鈥� and he鈥檇 give it to them.

We lived in a row. We didn鈥檛 go into one another鈥檚 houses but we were there for one another. If anything went wrong, they were there. And then they鈥檇 say 鈥淐harlie, can you mend me shoes?鈥� and my dad would say 鈥淵es, if you鈥檝e got sixpence for the leather鈥�. It was all very friendly.

I come from a big family. There were twelve of us; eight boys and four girls, but we didn鈥檛 go without anything, my dad saw to that. We couldn鈥檛 wish for better parents and they always found time to talk to us, no matter what it was. And if we were ill, it was always my dad who looked after us.

We used to go to Mr and Mrs Jones who kept poultry and we鈥檇 have new-laid eggs from them. Miss Smart and my friend鈥檚 mother used to say 鈥淲ashday, can I have a big bowl of suds?鈥� And then they鈥檇 come and say 鈥淩uth鈥�, (that鈥檚 mother) 鈥渉ave you got a cup of sugar I can borrow?鈥� We never got it back! I used to hide some of the sugar on the top shelf of the pantry. When mother used to say 鈥淲e鈥檝e got no sugar鈥�, I鈥檇 say 鈥淥h yes we have鈥� and get it down for her.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Becky Barugh of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Lilian Riedel and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Lilian and Gottfried's stories:

• Always the last one
• Seen from both sides
• Some mothers lads
• When you're young

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