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This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War by a volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of Sylvia Lewis.and has been added to the site with her permission and she fully understands the sites terms and conditions

Home Life.
Mother was a local girl; father moved with his parents in 1926, when he was 20 from Senghenydd, East Mon. valleys.
Lived on a smallholding near Gaerllwydd, her father was also involved in running his family鈥檚 coal haulage business; had a lorry that could be converted to a charabanc, was used for day trips - -eg., Barry, Porthcawl, but later had separate vehicles. Home was quite isolated, a few scattered houses. Sylvia spent a fair bit of the war years with her widowed grandmother, who lived at West End, Earlswood. Her paternal grandmother used to make butter, kept specially for Sundays, and Sylvia can remember helping at times. Not all that aware of food shortages, plenty of local fruit and vegetables, and eggs when the hens were laying, but can remember dried eggs in waxed boxes. However, there were meat and bacon shortages and fruit such as bananas; she was not all that keen on the salted bacon her grandmother used to produce. Can remember having tinned bacon rashers from Canada. Was aware of having to be careful with clothes because not so much available. Parents would take produce from the smallholding, mainly vegetables and some fruit to Newport market on a Saturday, there would often be a lorry load of cauliflowers, and then stay there to do some of their shopping.

School life.
Sylvia spent most of her primary school years at Earlswood School, but the last 18 months or so were spent at Llangwm School. Her parents favoured Earlswood as there was a Headmaster as opposed to a Headmistress. Lunches were not provided at school, but the children were given a mug of Horlicks.Had to walk three miles each way to Earlswood school; one winter鈥檚 day she and her younger brother dawdled so long on the way home that it became very dark and due to the 鈥渂lackout鈥� and it being a cloudy afternoon it was only with great difficulty that they reached home. On another occasion when they were late arriving for school they were told by the Headmaster, Mr. Hancock, that as it was so late they may as well go back home; it was some time later when the Head realised how far they had to come that no more reprimands were given. Both Sylvia and her brother often used to call in at grandparents鈥� homes on the way to and from school. Was never aware of any shortages at school. Both schools had their quota of evacuees. Sylvia can remember the ones at Earlswood better, especially those that walked to and fro school similar ways and she was there when they arrived, by the time she moved to Llangwm school they had more or less become intergrated. Had an idea that one of the teacher鈥檚 at Llangwm had come with the evacuees. Seems to remember being told at school that the war had started - - not aware of any immediate differences, though gas masks were soon issued, preferred the colour of her brother鈥檚, which was given to him due to his younger age. Were allotted homes near the school to which to go in time a bombing raid.

Links with Chepstow.
There was a British Resaurant near the old Post Office, which Sylvia thinks had something to do with the war effort.

Travel / Communications.
Buses used to travel through the village, linking Chepstow and Usk, thought there would have been one every two hours or so, starting at 8a.m until 9p.m. Many people had and used their bicycles, while walking was very common. One of her school mates rode a horse to school, which was left in a nearby field during lesson time. Buses would convey the Home Guard to certain events and the rifles would be lain in the aisle; buses were also used to convey fooballers to games.

Wartime defences.
Father had dug a shelter in the garden, but cannot remember it being used for 鈥渞eal鈥�; more for playing, it was very dank and her father had constructed seats around the edge. Her father was a 2nd., lieutenant in the home guard and a barn adjoining their home was used for the storage of grenades, rifles and bayonettes; there was a dug out at Gaerllwyd for the home guard. Sylvia鈥檚 father had invented a 鈥渟ticker bomb鈥�, which was used in the war and would stick to tanks. She was sometimes frightened by British soldiers on training/ manoeuvres in the fields around home.
There were barrage balloons over Wentwood Forest and Royal Naval Propellant Factory and a searchlight battery for three people at Tivoree.

War Events.
Sylvia has memories of three different prisoners of war working on the smallholding or helping with the coal round. One of them - Norbet, a very nice person - used to say to her father 鈥淲e are not fighting, only the countries.鈥� He was sent some seeds for his garden after the war. Another one had been a doctor, who escaped. Sylvia seems to think that he was recaptured and not let out again. Franz was a big heavy man who worked mainly on the coal round. They were dropped off 鈥渆n route鈥� and the family generally got on well with them and were fed the same food as the family.
An incendiary bomb fell about a field鈥檚 distance away from home, in what the children called 鈥渙ur glen鈥�, and three bombs fell at the same time at Newchurch - - Sylvia has no memory of any damage caused.
The family and neighbours used to pick blackberries and currants that were taken to a local collecting point and then transported to Carter鈥檚 at Coleford - - were probably used in the company鈥檚 fruit drink production.
Has memories of a practice session at school - - the children were allowed to choose an apple from the school garden before going to their designated homes to shelter. When it was time for the 鈥渁ll clear鈥�, the Headmaster rode along the lanes on his bicycle blowing some sort of horn. Can remember her grandmother being blown out of bed by the blast of a bomb dropping at West End. Has only a few memories of planes overhead, used to hide under the stairs. At one time, Sylvia thought that the barrage ballons were parachutes dropping enemy soldiers, but her grandmother reassured her as to what they were. The Americans drove along the Chepstow to Usk road and when they were asked 鈥淗ave you got any gum chum?鈥�, used to throw packets of gum at the children.
Was staying with her grandmother at the end of the war, who had moved to Caerleon during the hostilities; a local milkman came to tell them that the war was over - - can remember thinking 鈥淲hat do they have on the news when there isn鈥檛 a war?鈥�

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