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(Jo Knight transcribed at Brockhampton Rural Learning Event)

Aug 1939 Southend on Sea just outside Southend the army were putting fencing out. In the square they were putting guns up in concrete bunkers.

Freda’s boyfriend said there would be war in a week’s time and that they were not putting these up for nothing. When he got home his call up papers were waiting for him . He was recalled to Lincoln barracks.

The week after he was called up the war did start and he spent all of his war in Lincoln. He was in the medical corps.

Freda worked in Woolworths before she was married. She was staff supervisor. — she was sent to the steel works early on in the war. This allowed her to replace a man to go to war. She only stayed a day and a half — the noise was too loud and she found the atmosphere terrible.

1943 Freda was married and the rationing meant that her wedding dress needed 8 coupons. She did have a 3 tiered wedding cake made by an officer.

She ended up in the Co-op bakery office in Scunthorpe in Lincs — she was there for 2 — 3 years. She left to have a family but she could not return to Woolworths because she was married. The manager was older but single and they would not accept a married junior staff member.

After her marriage she lived at home for a while before the children arrived she and her husband managed to buy a house, which cost £700.00. The deposit was £200.00 which was difficult to raise, but they did it.

The furniture was purchased through dockets. For instance you would use some to acquire a table and four chairs and a sideboard. The Co-operative shop provided the furniture with all the other household bits and pieces. The dividend was useful as it provided extras cash, which was always useful.

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