大象传媒

(This story was submitted to the People's War site by Ceri Walker of Oxford on behalf of Mrs Amy Austin and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Austin fully understands the site's terms and conditions.)

At 97 Amy still has memories of the First World War, but in the Second World War she was living in Old Road in Headington, with two children on active service.

Amy was busy from morning to night. 'I was on the go all the time helping others.', she says. 'Rationing was hard, but you just had to get through. Indeed I gave half of my coupons away to people who needed them more than I did.'

Amy worked at a laundry called Bennetts Limited in St Ebbes. She was there for twenty-five years all together. During the War she had to go up onto the roof fire-watching. 'It was fun, especially when the sirens were going off' recalls Amy. 'Only one bomb fell on Oxford, on the other side of Cowley. Hitler said he wouldn't bomb Oxford and he kept his word!'

Amy's son served in the Fleet Air Arm from the first day of the War to the last, mainly in Australia and Japan. Her daughter was in the ATS as a Police Constable, and she received her demob papers in Australia. She has lived there ever since. 'I've been to visit once, for three months', says Amy. 'I had a wonderful time.'

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