´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War Site by Three Counties Action, on behalf of K Peacock, and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I was 13 when the war broke out. On the Sunday morning after the announcement I was taking a neighbour’s baby out for a walk pushing a pram. All of a sudden a siren went off, the neighbours came rushing around to find me, in a car. We took the baby and left the pram. Everyone was scared but it was a false alarm. 1939 was an anti-climax, everyone called it the phoney war. The first thing I remember was being issued with a gas mask, which we had to carry everywhere. All the windows had to have blackout material so that lights could not be seen outside. There was the home guard that had to check at night that no light was showing anywhere. Air raid wardens were introduced and my father volunteered, although we did have a corner shop that he worked in during the day and was on duty at night. They had a specially equipped shed in different areas around; they had all the amenities. The air raid wardens were at first resented because nothing had yet happened. If it was very quiet they were called ‘wasters’ and ‘slackers’. Everybody did what they were told and go on with their lives. A lot of men were put on building shelters in parks and streets. Street lamps were off; thick white lines were painted on kerbs and lampposts to help people see at night, it was very scary as there were quite a lot of accidents. Then started the evacuation of children to the country. Some children went to Canada. I didn’t go, as my parents wanted me to stay with them. I was happy to stay. Some of the children were unhappy and came home, as they were not treated well.

1940
The war really started, my school was bombed so we could not go to school. The swimming pool near where I lived was bombed. I was 14 in the April of that year, although there wasn’t any schooling so I could not leave officially for three months as Easter term came early. I did have a job to go to. I finally went to work in an office and did rationing for the 39 Bishops stores. Their rations had to be carefully checked with the food office. As my father owned a shop, after work I used to sort out all the coupons and keep a check on all that came in and went out. It was tedious job and not helped by the sirens going all night. We did not have a shelter so we slept under the table or piano. Friday night seemed to be our target night, some people had shelters in their gardens or a Morrison shelter indoors, and eventually we used our neighbours shelter outdoors. That was an Anderson shelter. There were not many buses where I worked as I had to walk, then my mother bought me a utility bicycle and so I was able to ride to work. Unfortunately as the bombing got worse during the day, I was often blown off my bike. Luckily I missed the traffic going by. There wasn’t a lot to do in those days as everything was closed down. Coventry was the first bad bombing November 14th 1940. Christmas Boxing Day 1940 we had a real Blitz. Two land mines fell on our road, one each side and I lost a lot of friends. It was really terrifying. Also it was a very cold winter, everything was frozen, we had to get water from pumps outside. All the windows were blown out and boards, also brown paper, were soon put up. Our upstairs collapsed and we lost everything.

I was very upset, as at 7 years old I was learning Ballet, getting trained for the future. I also did other dancing and did concerts and at that time after years of training we were going to Pantomime. I had passed exams and was so happy doing something I loved, but that Boxing Day I lost all my lovely costumes and of course everything was cancelled, which I still regret to this day, 2003. After the mine episode I collected all the children to clear things up. I will never forget the terrible winter of 1940.

Anyway, my social life didn’t stop as the bombing quietened down and people tried to get as back to normal as they could. A dancing club started up and my cousin came with me one evening a week to learn to Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep etc. On Sunday afternoons they held a dance to try out our steps, for which we paid 2/6. We always used to go together as we still had the blackout to contend with and I had a very dark churchyard to walk through which was a bit frightening at times. There were quite a lot of teenagers going to the club called ‘The Relver’ and very friendly. I met my future husband there but didn’t know it at the time. When I was 16 things in the country were very bad, food was scarce so everywhere there was land it was all put down to growing vegetables, girls were being called up for the land army and conscription came in for the men, I was in a safe job at this time.

I remember going to a dance on November 11th. It was in aid of the war effort. Ron was there with his mates; I was with my cousin Joan. It was a lovely evening and I danced with Ron. He asked me out to the cinema and we went to see ‘Gone with the Wind’ and from then we started going out together.

One tried to look nice but 66 coupons a year did not go far, all the clothes were utility and not very good, stocking were awful I think this is why amongst other things that women began wearing trousers, especially in the Winter. I had always been a knitter so I managed to knit jumpers etc but wool needed coupons also but we managed the best we could. Soap was rationed so we had to be very economical and to bath only a small amount of water was allowed. Ron was a sheet metal worker making bomb doors, so we saw a lot of each other as each day counted. He had to do fire watching at the factory some nights. We had Incendiary Bombs at night, Buzz Bombs, Molotov Baskets and Rockets. In those times there were not any sirens, they came out silently. One could see them, but wondered where they would drop. My mother and I lied in our bed and saw the first one go over. It fell near where I used to work in Neasden; two of my friends escaped it. The rocket would shake the ground as you were walking in the street. It was an awful feeling, as one wondered where it had fallen.

When the Americans entered the war it caused a lot of trouble, they thought every women fell for their charms, other men out fighting the war, were worried about their girlfriends and wives because the yanks had plenty of money and could get anything one wanted. Silk stockings were a good bribe.

Ron and I were walking arm in arm in London and I felt myself being pulled away. One of the yanks was trying to get me away from Ron. I told him what I thought of him and pushed him away. I stayed clear of them after that, it just wasn’t right, they were here to help in the war not pinch other men’s property.

We got on with our lives; Ron brought his friends to my house we could play cards or darts; my Mum always gave us supper. When Ron was 18 he was called up under the Bevin Scheme to go down with the mines so off he went to a hostel in Ramsill. He wasn’t at all happy in the pits, 3,000 feet down; the mine was in a village called Bircotes near Doncaster. They were not treated very well. The pay wasn’t like the army. They didn’t get leave, had to buy all their own pit gear and were only allowed to come home in the month’s fortnight, which they had every summer. We got engaged and because Ron’s mother was worried about him, she wanted us to get married and me to go up to Bircotes to look after him; but we had to get permission because we were under age. My father wasn’t happy at first but he like Ron like a son. After a month of thought, he gave his consent. I felt sorry for him as being his only one of going away.

The German’s had surrendered so we got married June 3rd 1945, it was a Sunday. On the Saturday there were street celebrations and everyone was excited. Because of rationing it was hard, but friends and neighbours helped out with the food. My mother was a good cook and did everything for herself. She hired a hall; people gave clothing, coupons to help with dresses for bridesmaids. We had three very plain materials but someone made them, I wore my friends wedding dress, her husband Eric was best man. We were married at St. Mary’s Church, Willesden, which wasn’t far from where we lived. Someone got a car as petrol was rationed but the chauffeur gave me a ride around the streets. Then I had to walk through the churchyard to the church. Being underage we had a sermon from the vicar but a lovely service (as I attended St.Mary’s school from the age of 5 until 11). We had a lovely meal and a party; it was a very hot day. Ron had broken his arm a few weeks before and the plaster came of the week before the wedding. We didn’t have a honeymoon, we went straight up to Bircotes as Ron had to report back and we had a room in the village. I liked the village life; the only thing was that the miners were not very nice to us. They showed their dislike of the Bevin Boys. I got friendly with a family. They came from Nottingham and were very kind to us. Molly their eldest daughter used to go out with me and we became good friends. We celebrated VJ night with them. We had to come home on our first anniversary as Ron was taken ill, they thought he had TB but luckily it wasn’t. He had to have a medical but Bevin Boys after the mines had to do two years national service. Anyway, he didn’t pass the medical and they said he should never have gone in the mines because of his ears. It took 6 months before he was fit again. We stayed with my Mum; we had no money; not like the army, it never gave compensations. Even wives never got an allowance, which I think was unfair.

This is only a glimpse of my war. Such a lot of things happened that one could just not talk about, the horror of losing friends so young. This year 2003, I was glad to see the land girls get their medals and be recognised for all their hard work. I would have been one of them, but got married instead. It is about time the Bevin Boys got their rewards and recognition of what they went through. They didn’t get a uniform or badge and got insulted by people asking why they were not in the forces.

RATIONS AVERAGE 1941
Bacon and ham 4oz
Cooking fats,
cheese 1oz
Sugar 8oz
Meat (rationed by points)
Butter 2oz

Plus 16 points a month for other rationed foods subject to availability

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