大象传媒

War time memories of childhood in Ewell

Seeing the searchlights up in the sky when carried out into the garden by my father when an air raid was imminent.

Seeing and hearing the air raid siren in Ewell village which was by the traffic lights opposite the Spring Hotel.

Insisting on going back indoors to fetch my teddy-bear when I was in the garden shelter during an air raid.

Seeing the tongues of flame coming from the back of the Doodle-bugs. Then when they stopped, they would then drop so we had to rush into the shelter.

Seeing our fighter planes going over Ewell to intercept the German bombers over Epsom Downs before they reached London.

Waiting for the All-clear, then back indoors to first put the oven on, more coal on the boiler and then feed the chickens, ducks and rabbits.

Neighbours saving all their potato peelings to give to my mother who boiled them up in an old saucepan to make mash for the chickens and ducks.

Collecting the day old chicks from Ewell West station who came up on the Southern Railway steam train from Horsham.

Three quarters of our large garden put down to all sorts of vegetables, soft fruit and fruit trees.

Blackberry picking in the fields beside the Hogsmill river, to make jam.

After a time, we had eighty animals and birds to look after. Fresh eggs every day from the hens and ducks.

Black out curtains at all the windows 鈥� the warden on fire-watching duty would knock on doors if he could see any light from a house.

Going to school in the war; underground shelters with benches to sit on and a blackboard to work from.

A 鈥淕HOST鈥� supposed to be in one of the shelters (in Nonsuch Private School) which had to close when the bombing became too bad due to inadequate shelters.

Food rationing 鈥� 10p worth of meat, per person, per week at one stage
4oz of cheese and one pint of milk per person, per week
Sweets on ration
No dried fruit at all 鈥� all shipments from other countries ceased as all ships were used for the war.

Listening to the radio - Workers鈥� Playtime, ITMA, In Town Tonight

Coal fire in my bedroom
Drinking 鈥渃linic鈥� orange juice
Eating braised tripe and onions
Pearl barley in stews
Very little meat 鈥� lots of home-grown vegetable

Coupon rationing 鈥� no new clothes during the war
All coupons used to buy shoes (for growing feet)
Toes cut out of sandals when too small.

Queuing outside Cracknells the Butchers on the corner of Spring Street for offal when it was available.
Seeing the farmers driving their sheep down Spring Street into the abattoir behind Cracknells

A neighbour coming over to wring a chicken鈥檚 neck, then my mother plucking and trussing the chicken ready to be cooked and eaten.

Eating the rabbits, sending the pelts away to be cured, then my mother making them into fur-backed mittens to wear in the very cold winters during the war years.

Receiving, from my aunt in Australia, a big parcel of wool to be washed, wound and knitted into cardigans, jumpers, pullovers, etc.

Turning the handle of the mangle after my mother had washed all the clothes by hand in carbolic soap and hanging them out on the rope washing line, strung between two apple trees in the garden.

Very thick snows in winter but the milkman always seemed to deliver the milk.

Bottling all the fruit from the trees, making jam from the soft fruit, pickling the eggs and salting the vegetables 鈥� there were no such things as freezers!

My father riding his bicycle to Richmond and back (ten miles each way), as there was only petrol for Doctors, etc

Seeing our car standing on wooden blocks for the whole of the war years in the garage.

Putting all the rubbish on the compost heap to rot down to dig into the garden, or to be burnt on the bonfire.

After the war was over, we had a street party at the end of Meadow Walk and my mother made some cakes with dripping and cold tea!

Wendy Osborne (nee Adams)

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