大象传媒

I am still living in the house on Woodbridge Road that my hsuband and I bought new in 1933 for 拢575 which was a lot of money in those days. The average wage in the Manganese Bronze Brass Company in Ipswich was about 拢2.50 per week. My husband was a draughtsman who had been apprenticed in London (at 3 farthings) but took up the job in Ipswich at a higher wage. During the war in this area only people who earned 拢5/week or less were given air raid shelters. We did get a shelter near the end of the war. We kept chickens and grew vegetables in our allotment in Sidegate Lane as well as in the garden.

A bomb was dropped on Rushmere Road which was so big it cracked the window in the door. There was also a landmine dropped which cracked other windows. There were other bombs in town but they didn't affect my house.

There were 4 of us in our family - my husband Gilbert and our 2 children, Nigel born in 1934 and Angela born in 1940 and myself. Gilbert was reserve occupation but he was a captain in the Home Guard - he was a fire watcher. I think he felt a little disappointed not to be in the Services - they all wanted to do things but his job was essential I suppose. My mother moved from Colchester where we all grew up and lived in a house near me in Ipswich. She had an evacuee, probably from London, but then they took the children back. When there was a fear of an invasion all the mothers and small children from here were evacuated. We went to Kettering to people we knew, but we only stayed 6 weeks as there wasn't any invasion.

Doodlebugs came over. We saw one from our bedroom window which hit Chelmondiston. You always knew when the doodlebugs would hit because their engines shut down. There were other bombs, not too many, that dropped in Ipswich Docks. One landed near the Manganese Company on Hadleigh Road. English pilots had to bale out in their parachutes. I used to think to was so sad that so many didn't come back. We didn't really suffer so much, I think it was more a war of nerves for us.

We mothers used to take our small children with us to Ipswich School to knit socks for the Army, Navy and Air Force. We walked there - we were great walkers. Nigel was school age but there weren't any schools open near us. We did get a place for him at Amberfield School which was at Crofton Street. It was a very good school but then we had to leave Ipswich because of the threatened invation. Nigel went back to Amberfield when we returned to Ipswich and then onto Ipswich School when he was old enough. He went by himself when he was old enough - we didn't think anything of it in those days. He walked all the way.

Near the end of the war the Americans came. One day we all went fishing at Bealings along the river. Some of the airmen were fishing on the lake at the big house where they were billeted. Ther were very nice to the children and gave them chocolate and things. One of them asked Nigel if he had any sisters at home but Nigel only had his 3 year old sister Angela. We laughed afterwards. Ipswich women used to meet with the wives of the Bentwaters airmen and we got to know each other. We'd take our food, they'd give us theirs to see and taste. We really enjoyed the exchanges with the Americans.

I remember when I was a child in the first World War. One day a Zeppelin came over. We were all so frightened. We children hid under our school desks.

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