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THE FOLLOWING IS A CONTRIBUTION BY MY WIFE

WARTIME MEMORIES OF A TEENAGE SCHOOLGIRL

RENÉE WATERSON [ NÉE RUSTON]

I was attending Morning Service at ST Anne’s Church of England, Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire on Sunday, 3rd September 1939 when the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Neville Chamberlain announced over the radio at 11am that our country was at war with Germany. Our vicar Reverend W. Driver announced the news from the pulpit.
As a ten year old, I hardly knew what to expect but I can remember thinking that when I arrived home for lunch, my ‘dad’ would have gone away to the war. Thankfully, that was not the case. In fact he never did have to go as he was in a reserved occupation. His employer secured his exemption. He did join the A.R.P. (Air Raid Precautions) which meant that whenever there was an air raid, or danger of one, the sirens would sound, and he would have to report at the A.R.P. post not far from our house. When the sirens sounded, usually at night, we would all get up as a family-grandma, mother, sister and I and go to sit in a passage under the ground leading from our kitchen. It was considered we would be safe under there. The adults took with them any papers of value in a tin box so that they would not burn. Our neighbours came round, with their tin box, and there we would sit in the cellar, as we called it, until the all-clear sounded.
We did not have any bombs dropped in the Valley, but we could see the fires from the air raids on Manchester blazing beyond the hills surrounding the Valley. This happened in the early stages of the war but later we became used to the fact that bombs did not fall in our area, and stayed in our beds. Dad still had to go to the A.R.P. post. Some men joined the Home Guard instead.
I am not sure which year it was but we did hear of a German bomber plane coming down in the Valley the pilot being killed. I don’t know the circumstances I’m afraid but I am told the plane crashed into Cowpe Low, a hill towering over our village of Waterfoot, in the Rossendale Valley. People climbed the hill, quite a long steep climb, to see it. I do not know anyone who did. It was a bit macabre.
Blackout restrictions were in force throughout the duration of the war. All streetlights were out and houses had black curtains. We had ply-wood boards up to the windows to keep all light from showing in the road. The Home Guard had the duty of ensuring no lights were showing. It was very dark outside, except on moonlit nights. We were always accompanied by an adult, usually a parent if we had to go out. It was very quiet where we lived, and eerie in the dark. Shops were also blacked out.
I used to have private piano lessons. During the early dark evenings of the war, my teacher used to come to our house to give me my lessons rather than me going to her house. Later, I would go to her house again-sometimes on Saturday afternoons-extra lessons for examination studies
In September 1940, my sister, Kathleen and I both began attending the Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, having passed scholarships. The whole of my school life at B.R.G.S. was during war time. It was still a very happy time and there were not too many restrictions (I don’t think-we did not know any difference). The year before we attended, a girls high school from Whalley Range, Manchester was evacuated to the Rossendale Valley and attended B.R.G.S. half days and B.R.G.S. pupils the other half days. By the time I arrived at the school, the Whalley Range pupils had returned to their own school but two of their girls stayed at the B.R.G.S. and integrated with the rest of us. B.R.G.S. was, and still is, a mixed school.
One point that perhaps I should have mentioned earlier was that in the early days of the war, we were all fitted with Gas Masks and had to carry these in a box with a strap around our shoulders daily. We (my sister and I) also wore silver identity bracelets, though I am not sure if this was compulsory. It was certainly very much encouraged. Our bracelets were engraved with our names and identity numbers taken from our Identity Cards.
Looking out of our classroom windows we could see Barrage Balloons over the surrounding hills. I think these were to deter aircraft coming into the Valley. They were quite a sight.
Our school did not have its own swimming pool. It had been the practice for pupils to travel to nearby Bacup to the Public Swimming baths. However, this practice was stopped during the war. I think it was because pupils were not allowed to walk to and from buses in crocodile fashion-dangerous in air raids. Consequently, I never did learn to swim. I have not felt deprived, though I think it is advisable for all children to learn to swim.
Food was rationed until several years after the war ended. Despite this we always walked home for a home-cooked dinner. What we lacked in meat (stew can be made to go a long way) was made up for in home-made puddings. My mother and grandmother were both good cooks. Some pupils did stay at school for ‘school dinners’ but I cant say what these were like, as I never stayed for them, even in rough, snowy weather.
Also rationed, were clothes. School uniform had to come out of our allowance of clothing coupons. By buying good quality goods, my uniform lasted through my school years. Clothes rationing continued-for some years after the war. Sometimes we were able to buy some materials at the local market free of coupons (black market I suppose). My mother was a good dress maker, so was able to make dresses for us, and sometimes coats. Because of this, we got more clothes than we would otherwise have done.
Petrol too, was also rationed, the bulk of it being used by the Forces. Not many people could afford to own a car. Doctors who received a petrol allowance were the only ones who drove cars as essential in their work. I remember our headmaster at Junior School, a church school, drove a car. I don’t know why unless it was because his wife was something of an invalid. The teaching staff at B.R.G.S. did not travel to school by car, but used the buses. Cars weren’t widely available at that time. Farmers delivered their milk with the horse and float (cart). Our farmer lived very near to us and delivered the mornings milk at 8 a.m. He would milk again at 4 p.m. and would deliver another gill (a gill was half a pint in the north), to us at tea time (5 p.m.). Milk was always fresh.
My father always kept a few hens as a hobby so he continued to do so during the war. Food for the hens was rationed too. It was lovely to have fresh eggs during the laying season. Unfortunately then, in the winter-time there would be a spell when the hens did not lay.
My mother would store some eggs when more plentiful in the laying season in ‘Waterglass’ to keep through the winter when there were no eggs. She would only use these for baking cakes not to eat as such.
A few people were rationed with my father for eggs and that helped him get more food for the hens.
Our family used to listen to the news on the wireless (radio) regularly at 6pm for news of the war.
In 1946 the petrol situation was still grim. We as a family went for a weeks holiday to Morecambe. The journey would take about two hours by coach .It took us nine hours to arrive at our destination by train-several trains in fact. Waterfoot to Bury, to Bolton, to Preston, to Lancaster and Morecambe. Petrol was still mainly for use by the forces.
I had several uncles who were enlisted in the First World War. Some cousins, their sons, took part in the Second World War. Only one lost his life-one too many, but we were fortunate.
At the end of our fourth year at B.R.G.S. we took our School Certificate examination-eight subjects were taken by most pupils. One had to pass in six subjects, one of which had to be English language. I passed all subjects, one pass, six credits, and one distinction. This was matriculation standard. If a pupil failed to get the necessary passes, he or she had to pass the whole lot again the following year. There was no taking of single subjects, as was introduced later.
When the war in Europe was over, I had left school and was in employment in the Inland Revenue at Rawtenstall. We had a days holiday on VE Day 8/5/1945. I don’t remember any street parties near where I lived. We heard the news on the wireless and saw the newsreels at the cinema of the celebrations in London and the Royal Family, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the Rt. Hon, Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister. A grateful nation cheered them all.
Sadly, Mr. Churchill lost the next election held on 5/7/1945, and declared on 26/7/1945 after awaiting the receipt of the forces vote. There was a Labour victory, making the Rt Hon. Clement Attlee Prime Minister. However, the Conservative Party won the subsequent election in 1950. As it did not result in a working majority, another election was held in 1951, making Mr. Churchill Prime Minister again.

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