大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's Warsite by Joan Wood [nee Keane]and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

In 1945 I was a student at Manchester University studying physics and chemistry. We had to work very hard, having several lectures a day and filling the time between, including Saturday mornings, with practical work in the laboratories. In 1943 the long vacations had been abolished and replaced with an extra term, leaving us with one week off at Christmas and Easter and two weeks in the summer. In addition we had to undertake at least four hours voluntary work a week fire watching, making camouflage nets, doing canteen work or serving in the Sention Training Corps or niversity Air Squadron. I did canteen work in the university refectory, cafeteria and snack bar.

We were a very provileged group. Only 1.5% of the population ever got to university and most of them were from well off families. There were a few free places for the children of less well to do parents and if you were lucky enough to have obtained one of these it was greatly valued. We "working class" students also received a maintenance grant of 拢28. a year to help with the cost of books and travel. This was given as 拢10, 拢10 and 拢8 at the beginning of term and it was the first time I had seen a 拢10 note, a large black and white thing about A5 size!
At the end of eighteen, most young people were conscripted into the forces, factories or mines but we were allowed an extra two years to enable us to get at least part way through a degree course, provided we contined to make satisfactory progress.

As children, we had experienced evacuation, some overseas, bombs, air raids, the blackout, shortages and rationing of food and clothes. This must have had a "tempering" effect as I don't remember anyone suffering from stress, and "counselling" was unheard of.
For a long time we had WAAFS billeted with us, usually two at a time. This was compulsory. If you had any room you had to take them in. If you hadn't a spare bed, they provided one. I had to give up my bedroom and sleep with my mother to make room for them. Actually, having them proved to be quite a lot of fun. They were only a little bit older than I was and it was like having sisters. I still keep in touch with one of them though we have not seen each other since. We had sixteen different girls over the years.

By 1944 the WAAFS had gone and the "buzz bomb" raids had started mainly on the south of England. We took in a thirteen month old evacuee from London, a beautiful blonde, blue eyed baby girl called Janet. We had her for a year and my mother was broken hearted when she had to take her back home.

My boy friend at this time was a very nice young radio officer in the Merchant Navy who I had got to know while I was still at school. He used to disappear at very short notice on voyages lasting many months, mainly on oil tankers. Letters were few and far between and when they did arrive, would have pieces either cut out or heavily "blue pencilled" making them unreadable in case they gave away any information about where they were or what they were doing. Everyone had friends or relatives in the forces, never knowing whether they were alive or dead, and dreading the arrival of a telegram bearing bad news.

Life was by no means all doom and gloom. Students had the free use of the McDougall centre with facilities for gym, games and swimming. Matches were played at The Firs and dances were held at the Union on most Saturday nights. We had Double British Summer Time and I remember cycling home after these in broad daylight! There were plenty of cinemas which changed their programmes twice a week and ballrooms were filled every night. Nearly all young people could dance, then the Americans introduced us to jitterbug and jive. We were young and fit and enjoyed life to the full.

Mothers worked wonders eking out the meagre rations with plenty of fresh vegetables, thanks to the Women's Land Army, and we were healthier than we have ever beed before or since! No obesity problems then! As long as you hadn't lost your home or loves ones, in some ways they were the happiest days of our lives.

V.E. Day itself was a bit of an anticlimax. Although we were relieved that there would be no more air raids and that the killing had stopped in Europe, war was still going on in the Far East. I lived in Handforth and there were not enough children in our road to hold a street party. I went into Wilmslow and late in the evening a bonfire was lit in the park and people were dancing. i don't know how long it went on - my dad didn't allow me to stay out late, V.E. Day or any other! [I was 19-1/2 !]

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.