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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Roger Marsh of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Elsie Cartwright, and has been added to the site with the author’s permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

SOME WARTIME MEMORIES — Part 1
By
Elsie Cartwright (nee Marsland)

I remember 1938, when there was much talk of "war" and what became known as the "Munich Crisis". Sometimes I would be very frightened, imagining that we would find German soldiers under the bed! A brighter side to the summer was that a very good school friend of mine had moved to London, for her Dad to get work there. But she was sent back to stay with relatives, because of the threat of war, and I was able to spend the summer holidays with her, until she eventually returned to London.

It would be about this time that my Dad was in touch with his sister in Australia. It was suggested that I ought to be sent to Australia, to avoid the war, and many arrangements were apparently made. My only strong memory of this was of going for a medical examination and given a list of things I would need to take on board the ship.

After some time, my Dad just announced that if there was to be bombing, and we were bombed, then we would die together, and I was not going to Australia. No discussion or consultation with me, and I suppose, as with children then, whatever parents said, was just accepted. So to September 1939.

GROWING UP
As an 11-year old when war was declared, and a 17-year old when it was over, my memories are very much of growing up, school and work during those wartime years of rationing and shortages, blackouts, sirens, and then a boyfriend.

WAR WAS IMMINENT
Because it was Oldham "Wakes Week", Mother had taken me to Cleethorpes to visit an Aunt and Uncle who lived there. Uncle was the Railway Stationmaster. There had been much talk about a war, but at 11 years of age, this did not mean very much - until on the Thursday evening, all the householders were told to prepare their windows for a possible ‘blackout’. Not a chink of light had to be seen, and this was quite a problem. Even the 'fanlight' above the door, had to be covered. I went along to the local amusement arcade (Pleasureland) and all the stalls and rides were preparing to close down. I remember being given lots of bags of sweets.

When the locals saw the battleships moored out at sea, they were saying that it wouldn't be long before the war started. Mother said we ought to be on our way home, and we returned on the Friday; the trains were packed, with lots of soldiers reporting for duty and it was a difficult journey, My parents kept a small Ironmonger's shop, and it may be a surprise to some people now to know that even one or two of our products on sale needed ration books. I remember particularly that soap powder (Persil, Oxydol, etc for washing) was strictly rationed, and once they were marked off the ration book for that month no more could be bought; many items either unobtainable or very scarce. For instance, torch batteries, which were so much in demand, trickled through occasionally, and were grabbed up when people knew we had received a stock.

FIRSTLY ABOUT SCHOOL
One of my very strong memories is of school swimming lessons at the local swimming baths, once a week. As clothes were taken off in the cubicle they had to be folded neatly, shoes on top of the pile, covered by a towel. This was so that when the sirens were sounded, or when an air raid practice was held, the teachers' special whistle meant that we had to get, quickly, out of the water, go along into our cubicles, put the towel round our shoulders and then file out of the main building, through some passages leading to the boiler house cellar, where there were forms for us to sit on and change into outdoor clothes, in the warmth. Of course, we had to carry our gas-masks around at all times.

During school lessons we had to go into dark, damp shelters, if there was either a practice, or an air-raid warning. If we were lucky enough to have saved some of our sweet ration, our own tin of toffee would be there. I remember, I am sure, that Horlicks tablets, were not rationed, and we often liked to put some of these in our tins as and when they were available.
There was a severe shortage of paper, and often enough we had to make do with odd scraps for our lessons, I still have one or two 'class reports' on paper ruled and written up on a page of an old exercise book.

GUIDES
I was in the Guides from the age of 10 years and as the war progressed, we were, as were the Scouts, asked to go along to a Casualty Clearing Station at another local church hall, to act as casualties for the First Alders to practice on. We were given imaginary injuries, and those unlucky enough to have received some `chemical' contamination, had to take a cold shower. Fine an a hot summer night, but so cold in winter.

STARTING WORK
I left school just after my 14th birthday in 1942, having been to a Commercial College for shorthand, typing and book keeping for two years on Saturday mornings.

I got a job in an office where there were 4 or 6 older girls. As they became 17/18 they had either to go into the forces, or work on munitions, or other essential war work.

The firm I worked for was a paint manufacturers and we quickly learned how to spell 'camouflage', as this was one of their main paint products. So my job, as a very young junior soon meant that I had a very responsible office job with 3 or 4 others around my age, which I enjoyed, I was soon quite competent with the switchboard - three main lines and about 20 extensions of the old 'eye-ball' type.

Office hours were 8.30 am to 5.30 pm with an hour and a quarter for lunch, and alternate Saturday mornings. The air-raid shelter at work for the office staff was, I believe, an Anderson shelter, dug out of some spare ground down about 5 steps. I have no recollection of having to use that shelter during the day (were they all night-time raids at that time?), but it was the job of the office girls to gather up all the heavy ledgers at the end of the day and carry them down the steep steps into the shelter, for which we were allowed five minutes.

Each morning back down into the shelter to carry up these ledgers and files. I imagine the information contained in one of the big heavy books would now fit easily onto one PC disc! Many of us became good friends, and often had our tea at work and then went to the local pictures.

CHURCH
Our own church, St James' Free Church of England, Hollinwood, housed an Air Raid Warden's Post and a light had been fixed in view of the Minister, to warn when an air-raid siren was sounding.

The story was often told of the Sunday night just before Christmas in 1941 (or maybe 1942. As was the custom, the choir was singing selections from the 'Messiah'; during this time the light went on to warn of a raid. The Minister had to decide quickly, as gatherings were advised, usually, to disperse. He decided that they ought to stay and finish their singing, which they did, without incident.

This turned out to be the night of one of the worst air-raids on Manchester, about six miles away. To be singing the Hallelujah chorus with the noise of aircraft, shells and bombs around was such an uplifting experience and was talked about for years.

On Christmas Eve 1944, I went out at midnight with the Church Carol Singers, for me, the first time, and I remember still what a dreadfully foggy night it was. The tradition was that the Singers went round to those families who had requested them to call.

We were sometimes invited into homes for a hot drink and even potato pie at one home. Incidentally, this was the start of a romance which has lasted for 61 years this year, married in 1947 (58 years at the time of writing) and, hopefully, much longer yet!

We later learned that a V1 `flying-bomb' {`doodlebug') had dropped an a row of houses an Abbeyhills Road, earlier that evening, about 4 miles from where we were. 27 people were killed and 49 seriously injured.

RATIONING
Food must have been a problem for many people, but we seemed to manage. Quite near to where I worked was a British Restaurant. These had been developed in many towns so that anyone could get a decent meal for a small price (perhaps two shillings - 10p), and the meal usually consisted of some kind of meat, sausage or pie, and any vegetable that may have been available, plus a sweet of steamed pudding and watery custard. Of course, we had not seen a banana or an orange for years. It was a great treat when a friend used to call occasionally with 6 new laid eggs, which I believe, would be black-market, but we didn't ask questions!

Mother used to swap a little of the tea ration for sugar, and we later understood that this was strictly, illegal, even though no money was involved! Onions were quite scarce, and bananas and oranges quite unobtainable. Sweets and chocolates were strictly rationed.

We had to use clothing coupons for most clothing and shoes and stockings. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who was a keen dress-maker, and we could buy remnants of dress material on the market for a reduced amount of coupons. Also sometimes there would be parachute silk remnants available, not on coupons, and this was particularly suitable for underskirts or nightwear.

Pr-BR

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