大象传媒

This contribution to People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Audrey Ashby

Audrey's childhood memories of WW2

I was born in march 1938 and lived in Chiswell Green near St Albans where life for my parents was quite difficult. Owing to the depression my father who had been a printer lost his job but eventually found work as a milkman. The war began in September 1939. At first they did fire watching and my father was also in the Home Guard. He told of two men, one rifle and six rounds of ammunition issued between them.

My father joined up in 1940, but being generally unaware of the full extent of the war and all its horrors, there were many other things which affected me. Mostly ill health. I was in hospital several times, ear, nose, throat and pneumonia and despite being only 4 years old I can actually recall being in an oxygen tent on one occasion. There were the usual children's ailments, measles, German measles, chicken-pox and for mother affording the medicine, as there was no NHS then. Mother had numerous doctors bills as a result of mine and her own ill health which must have been a constant struggle on army pay.

There was some assistance with the mortgage, where payments were only made on the interest but utility bills had to be met. Economy was always the watchword and with rationing it was essential to grow and preserve food. This was very difficult for with very few men around to do the digging /planting it was left to the women, many of whom were elderly, to carry out these tasks.

Despite being young during those years it was perhaps, because much of the time I was with elderly people, that I grew up quickly developing a keen mature sensitivity well in excess of my age.

Shopping then was very different too. New clothes were a luxury for many people and home made was the norm. Mother often bought wool and I recall helping to wind the skeins into balls ready for her to knit jumpers, hats, gloves and many other articles. I was taught how to knit and was able to master plain and purl stitches both at home and school. Sewing was my favourite and also embroidery. All of this not only gave us something to focus on but an end result with something to wear.

Age three years the trauma of saying goodbye to my father at a London Station as mother and I watched many hundreds of troops boarding their trains. This is a vivid memory which has stayed with me.

After my father joined up mother and I stayed at my aunts flat in North Watford in September when there was an air raid. Marker flares were dropped by the enemy all round the nearby gasometer. Apparently I slept soundly in an upstairs room whilst under the stairs in the hallway my cousin June was being born.

Dancing fairies
I belonged to a dancing troupe of tiny tots and we were taken to several venues to perform in different village halls. We travelled by Red Cross ambulance. I can only imagine what it must have looked like as the dozen or so winged fairies in white gauze and muslin climbed down from the ambulance.

Sausage and chips.
At the age of five I started school. One day at lunch time we sat down to my favourite dinner, sausage and chips. Suddenly there was an air raid and the siren went off but despite everyone else running for safety I still sat there munching away at my meal. A pair of hands grabbed me and dragged me off screaming as we went to the shelter. My reaction was not of fear but of being parted from my sausage and chips.

Fire safety?
Mother and I were staying at Abbots Langley when there was an air raid during the night. Being quickly taken from my bed I was bundled downstairs, then with my aunt, uncle and mother we crept into a small cupboard under the stairs for safety. The only light was from a candle and as we sat there we heard and felt a doodle bug as it landed in the field at the back of the house. We all jumped and suddenly there was a small of burning. Not from the bomb but from me as I had sat too near the candle and scorched my hair.

Red flowers.
Dig for Victory. With the men away it meant that the women had to dig and plant the garden with vegetables etc. To provide food for ourselves. When staying at grannies house in Abbots Langley, I wandered into the garden whilst granny, aunt and mother were cooking dinner. I wanted to help then and then I saw some pretty red flowers amongst the vegetables. Picking a bunch I felt very pleased with my self as I proudly handed them to granny. However, the reaction to my gift wasn't quite what I had expected. I soon learned from my mothers scolding that my pretty posy for the table was in fact a bunch of Runner Bean flowers.

Chewing gum.
Towards the end of the war our school received a real treat when an American Red Cross
lorry turned onto our school field laden with parcels for each child. Each parcel was the size of a shoe box and contained various items. Toys, pencils, rubber, soap all from America but no chewing gum.

This lack of chewing gum left me wondering how I could acquire some. Many of my friends whose family has been given drinking chocolate, comics and gum told me that all I had to do was ask an American soldier for some gum. We didn't know any soldiers so for me it would be very difficult. However, my luck changed when as my mother and I sat on the bus and American soldier got on. He went to the front seat and I saw this was my chance. I quickly followed and sat down next to him unaware that he kept looking round to where mother sat. Remembering my friends instructions and with heart pounding, I plucked up the courage to say the magic words ' have you got any gum chum' then smiling again at mother he handed me a packet of gum. I thanked him and quickly returned to sit with my mother who wasn't at all happy with my somewhat audacious behaviour. The bus stopped and my American soldier got off, smiling as he went but leaving me with my treasured prize which I could soon tell my friends about.

VE Day.
Chiswell Green, St Albans. We celebrated in our small close with a street party. Tables, chairs and even our piano were taken outside. There were jam and paste sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, some jelly and blancmange. Later we had our first taste of ice cream.
There were songs with actions and dancing where we learned the 'Lambeth Walk' and races too.

Dad comes home.
1946 My father returned from Italy the following spring. A day I will never forget. I was in bed recovering from chicken-pox when I heard the front gate click. Sensing it was him I rushed to open the front door. Suddenly there I was a three year old going on eight. As we gazed at each other after those five long years

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