大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of Peggy Keeble and has been added to the site with her permission. Peggy Keeble fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was 14 years old when the war started, and had just left school. I went to work in a factory making ladies lace kneck wear in Highbury, before we (my father and I, my mother having died when I was just a baby)moved to Stoke Newington, where I went to work in a factory making ladies skirts and slacks. My wage at 14 was 7 shillings 6 pence, and at the end 19 shillings

When I became 17 years of age I joined the ARP (28 October 1943), serving until 30 April 1945

This was a night duty requirement. Walking the streets close to home, and reporting to the headquaters if any bombs dropped, whether they were incentry, and if, what the damage was. On two occassions such a bomb dropped and landed at the back door of our home(a flat), and I was able to put them out using water powered through a stirrup pump

On the small green near our street was an Ack Ack unit and a Searchlight, who as soon as the planes came near went into action, which was a delight for the small boys watching to see if any planes were brought down

As the youngest worker in our factory, it was my duty to keep an ear for the planes, and when they came close, I had to blow a whistle, at which all the people in the factory stopped work and either went to the air raid shelter close by, and went into it or stood around above ground

Another memory was of being sent to the local fish and chip shop for 2p of fish and 1p of chips (called 2&1) by my colleagues at the factory

Because I lived near the factory, I mostly went home for lunch, or used my 3p a day dinner money to go over to the local cafe for a cup of tea and a buttered cheese roll, or piece of cake

With things being on ration, one of our special treats was knowing that on a certain day Home & Colonial shop was having its delivery, where we stood in a long line all down the street, to get a tin of meat or something alike

One day a bomb dropped close by, making the flat shake so badly that the soot came down the chimmney covering my cloathes so badly that I had to take them to the town hall to exchange for coupons to get a new set of cloathes

I had two brothers in the army. The oldest served in the Far East in a tank recovery unit, whilst my youngest brother was in the Royal Berkshire Regiment

There were also two sister. One was married and lived on the Essex coast. The other sister joined the Wrens, serving in Hampstead and later on a coastal unit
When not on duty I went with friends to a local hall, used for dancing, to records. The entrance fee was 1s-6p. It started at 7.00pm and finished at 10.00pm

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