大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by the Barnsley Archives and Local Studies Department on behalf of Josie Smith and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."

My Dad was in a priority occupation but all my uncles were away. Every Sunday all the Aunties and children came to our house. My Mum made dinner, one Auntie looked after the children and the other Auntie sewed. She spent all her time unpicking dresses and making new ones for somebody else. She made new curtains and made other curtains into cushion covers, tablemats, skirts and anything else that was needed. Bed sheets were cut and sewed edge to middle and often made into two pillowcases.

Another Auntie was in the ATS and came home one day with a huge parcel of parachute silk. Everybody then had wonderful new underwear and 鈥渨hite鈥� shirts and blouses. That was luxury. I was about 7 or 8 and had no idea how big a parachute was but I can鈥檛 imagine that it was a full one. We鈥檇 never have used it up.

My Dad maintained lorries that carried munitions from Sheffield and often went out at weekends to help out local business people. This meant he sometimes came home with little treats. I remember him bringing two Wall鈥檚 choc ices. They were shared out scrupulously each one being cut into 3 or 4 pieces. I still can recall the taste of that little piece and I鈥檝e never had any since that tasted as good.

I also recall that as a growing girl I often felt hungry. When I was at school one day a nurse came to measure and weigh everybody. If you were more than a certain height and wore a size three shoe or over you could apply for extra clothing coupons. I was successful!! I think the height could have been 5ft.

One of my Uncle鈥檚 was in Burma for 6 years and I used to write letters and wait for answers. They often came with little bits cut out or blocked over.

When we took our gas masks to school they were useful for putting on the desk lid. We had usually to put heads down for a little nap in the afternoon (even in the junior school at age of 6 or 7). The gas mask meant we could whisper without the teacher seeing us.

On VE night we went to the Town Hall to the celebrations. I couldn鈥檛 understand why men were wearing ladies dresses and has lipstick on.

A school dinner cost 4d and we paid 1d a day for a halibut oil capsule and a small white pill, which I think was vitamin C.

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