大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of "Joy". It has been added to the site with her permission and she fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

During the 1940s, one of our neighbours had a cat, who was known as Billy Gibbs. He was by nature a predator. He could get into rubbish bins, removing the lids deftly to see what he could find inside. He rummaged in gardens, consuming food left out for the birds, and ate anything that was edible. During wartime Britain, meat was in short supply and after a shopping expedition one day, my Mother told us she had managed to buy four ounces of lamb's liver, our ration for four people. We were looking forward to this unexpected addition to our evening meal. The smell coming from the kitchen was promising. Then, suddenly, I heard my Mother shouting "Go away!" She had found Billy Gibbs making a rapid exit through the open window with a large (and last) piece of liver hanging from his mouth. Billy had climbed an outside wall and had made several journeys to the frying pan through a small open window. The pan and food were hot and must have been difficult for a cat to lift out. However, Billy Gibbs had managed to comnsume our family's ration for that day. The last we saw of him was fleeing away with a slice of liver in his mouth. All we had left was an empty frying pan!

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