大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 London/CSV on behalf of Barbara Abbott with her permission. Barbara Abbott fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was born in 1931 so I was 8 years old in January 1940. We lived in Scunthorpe. One of the strong memories I have is of fetching coal on a sledge in the snow. I don鈥檛 remember ever being hungry even though everything was rationed. I was a girl guide during the war and I remember that on one occasion we could not put our tents up outside in the fields for fear of bombs but had to put them up inside a disused factory. When the lights went out all the mice came out to pay us a visit. As a girl guide we used to go potato picking and carrot pulling as part of the war effort. I do remember on one occasion picking potatoes with Italian prisoners of war. On that occasion I cooked an apple pie for 40 people 鈥� apples were never rationed because people grew them in orchards round where we lived. I got my cooking badge after I did that.

My dad was an auxiliary fireman and I remember he had a gadget in the house like a buzzer connected to the fire station that buzzed an early warning of raids. He would then have to cycle fast to the fire station to raise the alarm. So we were always first into the air-raid shelter which was a double shelter for use with our next door neighbours next door as well.

The women were mainly at home and those men who were at home used to be out all night on duty fire watching. I remember wearing a siren suit, which my mum sewed together. It was made from old blankets or old overcoats. It was a one-piece suit either with buttons, or if you were lucky a zip, at the front. It was worn over all your other clothes. It helped to keep us warm. Everything was used again (I still find it difficult to throw away old clothes). For example, we used old felt hats, which we flattened with a steam iron and a wet cloth and found some cork mats and we made slippers from these. When I went to school there was a bit of a school uniform but the rest was made out of anything you could find.

I was a papergirl between 1941 and 1948. During the war years I used to have to get up at 7am and it was absolutely pitch black as there were no lights allowed anywhere. I remember that the rounded corners on the curb stones at junctions were painted white; I used these to find my way. Dustbins placed at some street corners were used for people to put in any food scraps or leftovers: these became communal swill bins for pigs. We literally did not waste a thing.

My house was filled with love and friends. We did not have a lot of money but I think we had it very good because of the loving atmosphere. We had a lot of innocent fun. I think we had it better than kids do today. I used to go to the pictures nearly every night as my sister was an usherette; for 9d (9 old pence) you would get newsreels, a singsong, and an 鈥楢鈥� and a 鈥楤鈥� feature.

We used to listen to the radio a lot but we had to be absolutely quiet at 9pm in the evening as this was when Big Ben chimed and my dad listened to the news. I remember the commentator Alvar Lidell. We had to be especially quiet when Churchill spoke. Radio was an important source of information for us and we were entertained by programmes like Arthur Askey, Itma, and singalongs. I remember the songs 鈥淭his Sceptered Isle鈥� and 鈥淭here will always be an England鈥�.

I also remember a song they used to sing for the evacuee children it went something like this:

鈥淕oodnight children everywhere
Your mummy thinks of you tonight
Lay your sleepy head upon the pillow
And don鈥檛 be a weeping willow鈥︹��*

These songs made you feel better. They still stick with you and make you feel better. Singing, which I still love to do today 鈥� I am part of choir 鈥� takes your troubles away.

* [Goodnight children, everywhere
Your Mummy thinks of you tonight.
Lay your head upon your pillow,
Don't be a kid or a weeping willow.
Close your eyes and say a prayer
And surely you can find a kiss to spare.
Though you are far away
She's with you night and day.
Goodnight children, everywhere]

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