大象传媒

Mon 6th Jan 1941 - Percy went out all the morning to pay bills and get his hair cut and in the barbers he heard that a loud report we heard yesterday evening was a bomb which fell at Rushmere. After dinner we started out to walk to Playford Road. On the way we passed through Rushmere and saw the bomb damage - mostly windows, though two houses were badly knocked about. Another bomb fell in a field and hasn't exploded yet.
Tues 7th Jan - There was so much aerial activity this morning that I was not surprised when the siren went just after two. By the time I was ready to go out the all-clear had not gone and I had done my shopping and had reached Electric House when it went. The main siren is just there, so there was a terrific din and Gillian was scared stiff. I went to the library and had a chat with Billy and when I came out could hear machine-gunning. Everyone was looking at the sky but there was nothing to be seen. Shortly afterwards the siren went again and Percy was very late home. When he did arrive he said they had spent the whole afternoon in the trench with the exception of some 15 minutes between the two warnings and during this interval a Heinkel came over and dropped a time bomb behind Cliff Lane School, which shows how much good the siren is.
Wed 8th Jan - About ten o'clock this morning I heard the sound of a German plane being hotly pursued by two Hurricanes. Presently it wheeled round and started out to sea, machine-gunning as it went and dropping several bombs. I got out the map and tried to persuade myself that it wasn't in Percy's direction, but of course it was. They heard the bombs coming down and got under their desks, the siren, needless to say, not having sounded. The bombs fell in Fletcher and Romney Road which is a very short distance away. Bits of bombs and bullets fell in the school playground. An old lady and a baby were killed and four houses demolished.
Sat 11 th Jan - We lay in bed rather too long this morning and then about eleven John walked in. He looks very fit and uniform suits him. He has a stripe and is now Acting Lance Corporal.
Wed 15th Jan - Mr Worsnop came in for most of the evening as Percy is to be a firewatcher and Mr Worsnop is doing the organising. The Germans are dropping so many firebombs that every house is asked to provide a watcher to deal with any that fall in their district.
Thurs 23rd Jan - After another quiet night we had a warning this morning from 9.45 to 11.45. Percy was fed up when he came home to dinner. It must be a strain to try and teach with a gale blowing through the trench and no light but a hurricane lamp.
Fri 24th Jan - The grocer let me have a 2 pound tin of treacle - or rather golden syrup - the first we have seen for months! The shops in the town are half empty - no sweets at all except chocolates at 8.1/2d per quarter.
Thurs 30th Jan - There was a lot of confusion this morning as to what time school was to start for people's clocks varied a good deal. The morning was quite quiet till just before twelve when the house began to shake with gunfire. Soon after a Jerry came over, nearly touching our chimney-pots. I thought our last hour had come. Parts of the town were machine-gunned and bombs fell in Foxhall Road.
A few minutes after the plane had gone the siren went and the warning went on for six hours - a record for daytime, I should think. Percy didn't go to school this afternoon, of course. He says the men from Ransomes were very fed up as they had twelve crash warnings today (i.e. enemy planes overhead, take cover).
Fri 31st Jan - The news keeps talking about gas which the Germans will use when they invade so tonight we introduced Gillian to her gas mask. She accepted it as a sort of game of "peep-boo" and was not even alarmed when I put on mine, thank goodness.
Sun 2nd Feb - Mr Winsnes, who is a warden, says yesterday's affair was at Claydon Cement Works and that the manager was killed.
Mon 3rd Feb - It was snowing again this morning but the siren went round about eleven. Some time later I heard a plane making a lot of noise so went to look but it was flying so low and so slowly that I thought it must be one of ours. But the next minute I heard machine-gunning and two Hurricanes roared into view. Then the coastal ack-ack let fly and for a few minutes there was hell let loose. I don't think they got him though.
Tues 4th Feb - Tonight the old familiar sound came about seven and there was quite a lot of activity. Mr Worsnop came in and while he was here we heard strange sounds and went out and saw a plane sending down what looked like green bullets into the town. There was an absolute reek of gunpowder; in fact Mr Worsnop went to get his gas mask. We do see life - and we also catch some unpleasant glimpses of death.
Tues 11th Feb - Percy came home this dinner-time with the news that the Sidegate Lane district was bombed last night - two people killed - that Mr Stowe at Waldringfield had been bombed on Sunday evening and that his wife is in hospital, and that all the fuss in the town yesterday was because the police were looking for parachute troops who were supposed to have landed. After all this I hadn't much appetite left.
Fri 14th Feb - I went shopping this afternoon and was lucky for once, being just in time to get some fresh herring and also being able to get half a pound of sweets at Footman鈥檚. As a rule you are only allowed a quarter when - and that is seldom - they have any.
Wed 19th Feb - Percy arrived home at dinner time with the news that Ipswich and Norwich were bombed yesterday and that Colchester High St. was machine-gunned. Apparently the plane I heard about 4.15 had a go at the station but only managed to hit a sports ground in Wherstead Road.
Tues 25th Feb - The baker was the first to inform me that bombs fell in Bloomfield St. last night - two houses demolished, but nobody killed.
Young Olsen across the road, who joined the Air Force in September, has been killed in a crash. Percy went to condole with his father this evening.
Wed 26th Feb - I heard the all-clear go at 12.40. Percy says bombs were dropped in the Chantry - canister bombs, some say, but all reports are very indefinite.
The troops are on the move and we have an anti-aircraft gun on the Valley Road to protect the convoys of lorries.
Thurs 27th Feb - What a day! We didn't hear the all-clear but woke to hear another warning at 7.40. Since then the warning has been on till 4.50 this evening with a break from 9.50 to 10.10am. During this break Percy went to school but they didn't open of course. When it became clear that there would be no school this afternoon either, we went for a walk along Henley Road, the rain having ceased though it was still very cloudy. I was getting tea ready when we heard a plane and Percy had just opened the front door to investigate when there were three of the loudest explosions I have ever heard, accompanied by violent machine-gunning. We thought they must be in Christchurch Park, but on returning from his Lodge Percy informed me that they got Paul鈥檚 on the Dock. Apparently they also dropped some in Foxhall Rd. earlier in the afternoon.
Fri 28th Feb - A lovely quiet night and day. Yesterday's bombs killed a child and injured seventeen people. They machine-gunned Derby Rd. station but reports of bombs up there seem to be false. I went down town this afternoon and just managed to secure some fresh herring. They only had a few and there was a queue after them. Most fish is too dear to buy - anything from 2/- to 2/8 per pound.
Sat 1st Mar - We have had another quiet day. Percy has started to get really busy in the garden. We shall need to grow all we can this year, for food is getting very short. I took Gillian through the Park and Arboretum this afternoon. It is lovely in there, so peaceful, and yet people keep writing to the paper urging that vegetables should be grown there. I hope they never will. There is plenty of other land in Ipswich.
Tues 4th Mar - It has been a lovely spring-like day. I went down to the library and then felt moved to go to Christchurch Park where the 12 ft. bomb from Holywells Park is on view. But as it was enclosed and you have to pay to go in, I decided to go another time.
Sat 8th Mar - There have been a good many planes about tonight, including one which dropped a load of flares out Wattisham way. For quite a time there was a rose-colored cloud dripping red stars - quite pretty to watch, though sinister.
Sat 15th Mar - At dinner time the sun got through so I took Gillian out as usual. In Tuddenham Road we met Mr Barnes, a postman who lives in Ranelagh Road, and he recounted how his son Fred, who is my age, was bombed out at Romford. They got under the table when they heard the bomb coming and were quite unhurt though the house was completely demolished.
Wed 19th Mar - I have never known such a lot of German activity as we had last night. In an effort to get to sleep I counted up to 34 planes going over between 12 and 2am. Apparently they were on their way home from Hull, which had a thorough pasting.
Thurs 20th Mar - Percy arrived home full of evacuation talk and this afternoon the notices went up once more. I don't want to go and yet I can鈥檛 help wondering if we ought not to. I went out to get some waterglass for egg-preserving this afternoon.
Mon 24th Mar - I went down to register for preserves and cheese which are now to be rationed. Getting a pound of treacle is like a nightmare.
Wed 26th Mar - Mr James arrived to say they could go to the Fire Station and fetch their tin hats any time now.
Sat 29th Mar - Percy went to the Fire Station only to be greeted with the news that the Home Office have just issued an order that the tin hats are not to be given out.
Mon 31st Mar - Percy has been questing for artificial manure in his odd moments. You can't get the real thing or its artificial counterpart, yet everyone is digging for victory like mad.
Tues 8th Apr - I met Mrs James and she, like everyone else, was bemoaning the new Income Tax 10/- in the 拢 1.
Thurs 10th Apr - Well, we've been blitzed - and Percy slept through most of it. About 11.30 planes started to dive and roar over the town and there were some truly terrific explosions. Hundreds of incendiaries were dropped and Tollemache's brewery and Gabriel鈥檚 timber yard were set alight. Lots of other commercial buildings were damaged and Fore St. and Tacket St. were strewn with glass this morning. I went shopping but was rather unlucky as the fish shop wouldn't let me have any paper so I couldn't bring any herrings home.
Mon 21st Apr - Percy started the first of his ARP classes tonight. He is going to be a warden rather than fire-watch at school.
Tues 29th Apr - Last night's bombs hit St Clements Rectory. Percy says the streets were still littered with glass this morning.
One would have thought that after last night our defences would have been on the alert tonight. But just after nightfall, in spite of a clear sky, a plane dived down and bombed and machine-gunned Martlesham and then came on, quite unmolested, and dropped another one in the dock area. Five minutes later the siren went and two of our fighters started to go round and round in a perfectly maddening way till the siren went again, at which point they disappeared.
Thurs 1st May - I went out to pay the gas and electricity bills this afternoon and got extremely depressed by the food queues. I'm sure the government could do something about it if they liked.
Mr James came round just before tea with two oranges for Gillian - the first we have seen for months. Thousands of cases of them have arrived in Britain but as the price is controlled the shops don't bother to get them.
Sat 3rd May - The siren went quite early again tonight and our fighters are about. The clocks go on again tonight - Double Summer Time. It's going to be a hard life next week as the schools are to have no more late mornings, warning or no warning.
Mon 5th May - Scarcely had we got into bed than we heard bombs dropping followed by the siren and then our second blitz began. The Germans say they bombed "harbour installations" here but actually they simply showered them indiscriminately all over the town. I thought they had got us once, but it was Park Road, it seems. I went to see the craters in Christchurch Park this afternoon. One dropped at the foot of the tree at the bottom of the hill which is used for tobogganing and the branches are strewn all over the park. Two people in a car on Westerfield Road were blown to glory when the car received a direct hit. I met Mrs Mortimer and she said Reavells were hit but I believe it was Gippeswyk Park in actual fact. Anyhow I had a look at the casualty list - 2 killed, 2 missing, 5 injured, but this is only a preliminary list. Wrinches was set on fire, Cranes machine-gunned and of course hundreds of windows round the Park are broken. I came upon Bayley Piper boarding his premises up.
Tues 6th May - The siren went as usual just after dark but they let us alone tonight, thank goodness. The bombs in the Park have broken a terrific number of windows, particularly at the Ipswich School, which has lost its chapel window. Queer thing, blast. In a row of houses with windows smashed to atoms you may get one house with windows absolutely intact. One of Percy鈥檚 boys went down his garden after a bomb had dropped and found bits of his neighbour who was in her shelter when it received a direct hit. They still haven't found any trace of the husband.
Thurs 8th May - Percy went down with Mr James and Mr Oulson tonight and they have really got their tin hats at last. Mrs Bullock came in about fire-fighting and she says Lord Haw-Haw says we are to get another packet next Thursday and Friday.
Fri 9th May - It seems that either Haw-Haw or Mrs Bullock was mistaken about the date for we got another packet last night. It seemed to me as if bombs were dropping all night, incendiary; oil and high explosive, and the Gainsborough Estate got the lot. Fisons was burnt out and Raeburn, Boyton and Fletcher Road also caught it. The Greenwich school had a near miss and is unusable for the present. Hardly any of Percy's boys turned up.
Sat 10th May - I took Gillian for a walk round by the cemetery. It seems an appropriate spot nowadays. I didn't like to go into the town as notices have been up for some days announcing a gas exercise. Sure enough they had it this afternoon and Audrey Worsnop got caught in it as she came out of the Regent. There was also an air-raid warning on nearly all the time I was out. You wouldn't think life was worth living but how we all cling to it.
Mon 26th May - This afternoon I went to the library and then did a bit of queuing up for sweets and biscuits, though of course more often than not you join on a queue without knowing what you will get at the other end.
The evening was wet and there was an air-raid warning on for quite a time. Percy managed to get half a pig's head the other day and I am trying to make some of it into pork cheeses. It's a difficult thing to deal with though.
Sun 1st June - Three pieces of real bad news today. Sir Hugh Walpole is dead. No more of his lovely books. Secondly, clothes are to be rationed, starting at once. And thirdly we have evacuated Crete. It makes me sick. Defeat after defeat except against the Italians who can't fight anyway. How can we ever win this war? And what is the use of all the sacrifices we have to make if we never stand up to them?
Tues 10th Jun - Percy went to put out incendiary bombs tonight which complete his course.
Mon 16th June - I missed a lot of sleep listening for a warning that never came. The sky was full of planes, but they must have been ours. This lull is sinister and peculiar and some say it heralds the invasion. Next week there is to be compulsory registration of school children.
There has been a lot of discussion for days about Russia who is said to be mobilising. Also America has not only frozen all Italian and German funds in America, but has now closed down all German consulates. Japan says she'll come in if America does. What a shemozzle it is going to be.
Tues 17th Jun - The day started with a notice about compulsory evacuation of schoolchildren in the event of invasion. Mothers with children under five may also register. I met Mrs Thorpe with her little girl this afternoon and she says she thinks she will do so. I suppose it will be best for me to register with Percy's school.
Wed 18th Jun - Percy had late duty last night from 2am onwards and sure enough it was exactly two when the siren went and he had to stay on till the all-clear at 5.15 though it had been daylight for an hour. There wasn't much about either.
Thurs 19th Jun - I had an unpleasant surprise this afternoon when I discovered that I had to give up coupons for Gillian's shoes. This no rationing for children under four seems an absolute farce. Also the shop was out of jam and marmalade so I couldn't get my ration for this month. One bright spot is that tomatoes are down from 6/6 to 2/6 a pound.
Fri 20th Jun - It being Percy's early night of course we had an early siren - from midnight to 1.50am and as they were out less than two hours they didn't get their rations of Oxo and biscuits.
Tues 24th Jun - There was a lot of heavy gunfire before we went to bed and when we did get there a large force of our bombers going out from Wattisham kept me awake till the siren went at 12.50. I spent a hot and aggravating afternoon in the town in quest of tomatoes which were price-controlled yesterday and have now disappeared entirely from the shops, as did onions and eggs in like case.
Wed 25th Jun - I made some rhubarb jam during the evening, for it seems that the Ministry of Food is bagging all other soft fruit for the jam factories.
Fri 2ih Jun - I was lucky enough to spot a bottle of Haliborange which will solve the problem of Gillian's orange juice a little longer.
Sat 5th Jul - It has been very quiet except for some bombs they have been exploding in the gravel pit. Every time one went off plaster fell from the ceilings.
Sun 6th Jul - I took Gillian for a walk and got stopped by a soldier who told me off for not having our identity cards.
Tues 8th Jul - I spent practically the whole evening filling in our ration books. Thank heaven our family is no bigger.
Wed 9th Jul - We spent the morning in the town trying to buy Gillian a cot, which in itself was not difficult, but cot bedclothes are unobtainable and we had to buy big ones to cut up.
Fri 18th Jul - It has rained most of the day, but after dinner was fairly fine so I dashed down to the town to get my meat ration and then home to give them our cheese ration which we never seem to be able to eat.
Sat 19th Jul - It has been showery and cold all day and I have been rather bored. Also they keep to ordinary Summer Time here on the land (Norfolk) so all meals have been an hour later than we are used to. And in any case they seem to be even shorter of food than we are in the towns, so you don't like to eat much even though we did bring our own rations.
Sun 20th Jul - We went and got our strawberries this morning and came home after dinner so I could get on with the jam. Muriel let us have some gooseberries from her bushes to put with them as you can't get prepared pectin now. I made 11 pounds of jam tonight and cooked up the other half so they will keep till tomorrow. Our sugar reserves are getting horribly low.
Fri 12th Sep - Last week Percy went and had a few words with the grocer with the result that this week I get cornflakes and porridge, chocolate, sweets and tinned salmon, which seems like a beautiful dream of pre-war days.
Tues 16th Sep - I went down town to get some books Win wanted for her birthday. They came to 9/- which is far more than we can afford but what can you do?
Fri 19th Sep - I simply can't get biscuits anywhere so this afternoon I queued up for cake. I must have something to eke out our sugar and fat ration.
Mon 29th Sep - I went up to Argyle St. ARP centre to see if I could get Gillian a Mickey Mouse gas mask instead of her baby bag which is such an unwieldy article, but I have to wait till she is eighteen months. The room I had to go to was the one in which I used to teach.
Tues 30th Sep - It was pay day, thank goodness, after all these months. I seized the opportunity of getting some money for sock wool out of Percy. The money problem is becoming acute with us and we have had no war bonus of any sort, though the cost of living must be trebled.
Tues 14th Oct - It appears that there are some more unexploded bombs in Cocksedges. The Stoke area is still evacuated and Percy couldn't get to the bank this morning.
Wed 15th Oct - At home I found everyone feeling much better as Sheila had had two letters from John. The first was uncensored as he had got a fellow coming home to post it in England. He is in Freetown, West Africa, and will be able to send an Air Mail once a fortnight which is not so bad.
Tues 28th Oct - I bought a piece of stuff to make a skirt this afternoon, the prices of ready-made ones being absolutely unreasonable - 49/11 or thereabouts, but the stuff you buy is real muck - 9/11 a yard too.
Thurs 6th Nov - The sirens went at 9.15 this morning. This is the first time they have had to use the school trenches this term, but fortunately it was only for ten minutes. It was also the first we had heard of Moaning Minnie since last Thursday.
Mon 10th Nov - I spent the evening making a pinafore for Gillian out of a country dance frock. No siren but let's hope the weather is too bad.
Mon 24th Nov - Percy started his new times for school this morning - 9.30 to 12.30 and 2 to 4 - because of the blackout.
Fri 28th Nov - Mr Worsnop came in about a big invasion exercise we are having next weekend. Everyone is to be in it, night and day, wardens, Home Guard, the army and R.A.F.
Sun 30th Nov - Sheila and Win and my people came to tea. We suddenly remembered that we had two petrol coupons left just before tea and as this is the last day of the month I went down and got some petrol while Win got the tea ready and Sheila looked after Gillian.
Mon 1st Dec - Points rationing for tinned food started today and I went out to join the crowds who are trying to grab what there is while it lasts.
Tues 2nd Dec - This points rationing scheme is certainly a boon. We had some stuff tonight that tasted almost like real ham (a taste almost forgotten).
Thurs 4th Dec - Another miserably foggy day, but without them we wouldn't have had all these quiet nights. Percy was home before twelve having been down to the Anglo-Russian Exhibition with his boys. Tonight he went straight to a Class Teachers' Meeting and then to a Wardens' Meeting about Sunday's exercise. He is on from 6am to 2pm.
Fri 5th Dec - I had to go to the Food Office this afternoon to register for Gillian's fruit juice and cod-liver oil which the Government is providing for children under two.
Sat 6th Dec - I had to register with my age group for work of national importance this morning between 12 and 1. After a rather late dinner I took Gillian out but the town was absolutely swarming with Wardens, Police and soldiers playing at Invasion and as they might be releasing gas I only went as far as Win's.
Sun 7th Dec - I was up at 5.10 cooking Percy鈥檚 breakfast as he had to go on duty at Bramford Road from 6 to 2. He said he wouldn't be home to dinner as the Communal Feeding Centres were providing meals but at 12.30 he arrived home saying that the exercise had been abandoned by the wardens as it was such a washout. The chief grievance was that no food had arrived.
Mon 8th Dec - Japan has declared war on Britain and America and has bombed a number of American islands in the Pacific and invaded Malaya and Thailand, so now it really is a world war.
Thurs 18th Dec - I tried to buy two pairs of suspenders in Woolworths but was only allowed to have one. What are we coming to?
Fri 19th Dec - News from the Far East is bad. Penang has been evacuated and the Japanese have invaded Hong Kong, which looks like being lost to us at any moment. And still America seems to do little but talk.
Thurs 18th Dec - I tried to buy two pairs of suspenders in Woolworths but was only allowed to have one. What are we coming to?
Fri 19th Dec - News from the Far East is bad. Penang has been evacuated and the Japanese have invaded Hong Kong, which looks like being lost to us at any moment. And still America seems to do little but talk.
Sat 20th Dec - Percy went to an NUT meeting and has become Secretary in place of Jimmy Whitmore who is retiring this term. This means that we shall now be on the phone - and at NUT expense. Also there is an honorarium that goes with the job. It will make a lot for him to do while he has the farm but I have promised to help him.
Summary of 1941 - Well, it has been an awful year and thank heaven it is over. Towards the end of it I began to think that perhaps the end of the war was in sight but with Japan's entry it seems that we are worse than ever, for they seem to be doing exactly as they like in the Pacific. And now what we have to hope for in 1942 I don't know, but I don't feel optimistic. Invasion probably, they say. Bombing, most certainly. And foods getting shorter and shorter, though we are luckier than people like Muriel with her two great boys, for Gillian doesn't eat her rations.
There is only one wish for 1942. Our own personal lives are dormant till we have got this thing over. May 1942 bring us Victory!

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