大象传媒

Childhood in India 3

We had problems with the Indian Congress Party, they said the British were starving the people of India, in order to feed the Italians, so there was trouble. Everyone had to remain on the camp/quarters areas, we were not allowed even to go down the road to the cemetery without an armed escort and of course a visit to Bhopal was out of the question.

A machine gun "nest" was set up at the corner of the main road through the area. To get to our school, one went down the first road, at right angles to the "nest", so we were no longer allowed to walk to school. An army lorry picked us up, with armed troops riding shotgun, next to the driver and at the lorries tailboards. We also had a few guards at school and we were fenced in like the P.O.W.s with poles and barbed wire. This was very exciting for us but must have been a constant worry for our mums. A servant of ours "Fullsing" was not allowed to bring us our mid morning drink, our mum, each day, would send him with a jug of a cold drink, or in the wet weather (monsoons) with hot cocoa. School was from about 8-30 am to 11 am/noon, home then for a light snack. We then went to bed for a rest, under a mosquito net, in ones underwear, and a compulsive sheet over ones tummy (prevented getting a tummy chill). You got up late afternoon had a wash or bath, depending on the water supply, then had your main meal of the day. Several hours of homework followed, then we played in the cool of the evening, going to bed about 11 pm.

Our first school had been a tented one, the second an unoccupied married officers quarters, then our final one a hutment, similar to the prisoners sleeping quarters. It was split into three classrooms Infants, Juniors and Seniors. The Headteacher Mrs Leroy (I believe) taught the seniors. Miss Marshall the infants and Mrs Baggs the juniors, they were servicemen's daughter and wife, so we knew them out of school. When Miss Marshall had a long period off sick I looked after her class, under the headteachers eye. I taught them their letters and numbers, nursery rhymes, drawing and games. I was aged about 13. For this privilege I had extra homework, so I did not fall behind with my own studies. We were graded by standards and sat in the appropriate row. For example, one row would have to write an essay, another sums, another draw a given map etc. whilst the teacher taught one row. We started each days lessons with tables, singing them out and spelling "bees" were held frequently. History was the Tudor period and we followed our armies progress through Italy for Geography.

Because of the Congress trouble an Air Force base joined us on the north camp side. It was to take the families away if trouble broke out. We had a rehearsal, I would not get in the plane, I was terrified, I upset mother by refusing, but I think they assured her I would be aboard if it came to it. It never did, in our time anyway.

We used to go to the R.A.F. Concerts, they were great fun, we could understand them much better than we could the Italians. One act I remember was a fellow dressed up as a female, going to take a bath, when "she" got down to the underwear, she stepped on the bar of soap beside the bath and skidded off the stage, with the curtains closing. It was so funny, well I thought so.

One of the pilots out on flying duty crashed his plane and was killed. This was a great shock, because we knew him from the concert parties. We accepted death, because people died, but to be killed was something different.

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