大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from 大象传媒 Radio Berkshire on behalf of Millicent Turner and has been added to the site with her permission. Millicent fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Millicent Turner鈥檚 childhood memories of wartime in Reading

My mother was a very active, loved and willing volunteer in Reading who used to help distribute the evacuees to their new homes. She couldn鈥檛 bear to see twins or brothers and sisters split up and children left on their own so she鈥檇 take them home at the end of the session. Our house was always overcrowded and sometimes we鈥檇 have to share beds and sleep top to toe.

We had no electricity in the house during the war and we used plenty of torches especially to find our way to the toilet. It was outside and very, very cold. Of course there was no bathroom. When the evacuees arrived there seemed to be so many people tripping over the four cats and the dog even though it was a large house 鈥� four storeys high.

I was only nine years old so I found everything very disturbing and unfair. Suddenly I had to share toys, beds and my house with strange children every moment of the day. Even right up to the present day (I鈥檓 74 years old) I have never had a bedroom to myself except for stays in hospital.

School was held twice a day; one week the evacuees would attend in the mornings and us locals in the afternoons. Then we鈥檇 change over the following week. I suppose you could say I had half an education.

My mum couldn鈥檛 read or write so even with my limited education I was put in charge of 鈥楩ood points holder鈥� so I had to sort out the ration points for different foods and I would be in serious trouble if there were not enough points towards the end of the week. We used dried egg powder and powdered potato and never saw a piece of fruit. Women became very clever at inventing new cake recipes, sometimes using grated carrot. Even soap was rationed on points and all clothing on a system of ABCD coupons so we could never have two items of clothing at the same time. Sometimes it would be a pair of knickers, sometimes a school dress.

The sound of sirens was terrible. As sooon as they heard them most people made their way to their basements. This was frightening for me especially if I was on the top floor and I had to climb down all the stairs in the dark and the cold. If we were outside when the sirens sounded on our way to school or shopping, one of the ARP wardens would escort us to the nearest air raid shelter without any argument.

Dad was a warden and if he saw a chink of light he would knock on the door and say 鈥減ut that light out now鈥�. People were fined if they didn鈥檛. The air raid shelters were dirty, smelly, dark buildings where we had to stay until the 鈥楢ll clear鈥� sounded. If we were at school and too far from home when the sirens sounded children were taken in by the nearest people who had agreed to do this. This could sometimes be lots of children and all with muddy feet. When we came home in the dark from Girl Guides or other clubs we walked along arm in arm singing at the top of our voices so that we wouldn鈥檛 bump into anyone else.

We seemed to have a real assortment of evacuees in our house. Ralph was about twelve years old and was a very difficult child. He set fire to the bedroom and destroyed one of my favourite dolls, it was one of a pair called George and Mary and named after royalty.

We also had a girl of fourteen who seemed to be a bit of a dreamer but she was mad on boys and mum just couldn鈥檛 cope with her. Some children who came from the worst areas in East London and Battersea couldn鈥檛 understand why we went to Sunday school. They used to say 鈥渨e aint goin鈥� missus鈥� and 鈥渃or blimey, do we really 鈥榓ve to wash again on Sundays鈥�.

Five year old twins, a boy and a girl, arrived very unexpectedly one day and we found that their vests were sewn around them. We never did find out why. It was a real mystery. Their mother, an extremely large lady, used to visit us. One day she noticed that we had no Christmas decorations and on her next visit she brought us some red, white and blue bells (in memory of the recent Coronation of King George).

We also took in three girls called Phyllis, Helen and Rose. They were very intelligent, pretty and very upper class. Their father owned a large hairdressing establishment and being Jewish they had to be evacuated immediately. Their mother also stayed in Reading with her small son called Les but they were billeted elsewhere. My mother found it very difficult getting used to their 鈥榮pecial food鈥� and the seemingly endless lighting of candles and prayers, so they went back.

All the evacuees, like us locals, had to try to get used to the complete change of lifestyle especially when they came from a City to the countryside.

The war ended when I was fourteen which is when I started work and my first daughter arrived when I was eighteen so I didn鈥檛 have much of a teenage life. I suppose I was reminded daily of just how lucky I was to be alive. Even now I hate the darkness and the sound of sirens brings back the memories.

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