大象传媒

The Teacher Training College which I attended was evacuated to the heart of Gloucestershire so that during term time the war seemed very far away. But it had been real to many of us from bombed cities (Liverpool in my case) and others who had lost family and friends.

We never saw a newspaper and the radio was only heard by the nuns who fed us suitable pieces of news.

The village (Nyrnphsfield) was to celebrate VE Day by having a bonfire and we were asked to make a large swastika to burn on the top of it.

This was all sensational to us. Quite apart from the war, we were never allowed out after dark and the only place we could 'break out' to anyway was the Rose and Crown pub which was out of bounds.

It was a bright afternoon and to be out painting was much better than being lectured indoors.

We set out with all the enthusiasm of Hitler Youth to paint a giant swastika.

Materials were in short supply but we each had a precious piece of brown paper. Our home addresses were on one side and the college address on the other side. The paper was used over and over again to send and receive from home, laundry which we couldn't get done in our fortnightly sessions in the college wash house.

We gladly donated this paper to the good cause and carefully painted out all the home addresses with poster paint. We sewed the pieces together because this was a world before sellotape was invented and flour for paste was rationed.

For about three hours we painted a swastika that Hitler would have been proud of.

There was a very special high tea of tinned tongue that the nuns must have been hoarding for such an event and with jelly and cream (synthetic) to follow.

We walked en masse, both years plus all the nuns, the two miles to the village with the rolled up flag carried aloft.

It was pounced upon and mounted high over the stacked bonfire, which had been set up in the field behind the pub. Everyone cheered and the fire was lighted.

Before the flames reached it a gust of wind carried the flag away, maybe to the Fatherland.

Eileen Carr 2005

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.