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WW2 PEOPLE’S WAR

MY EXPERIENCES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN BRITISH GUIANA

By Uriella

My experience of World War Two was when we started to experience shortages of flour, margarine, lard and table butter. Most of these items were imported from Britain. As a result, many Guianese were compelled to grow and make use of local produce such as cassava from which cassava bread was obtained. Corn meal too formed another staple diet and many families ate and enjoyed corn meal porridge as well as coo coo.
As the cost of living continued to rise, Guianese started looking towards establishing a Grow More Food Campaign. With this campaign residents were encouraged to plant more rice and cultivate more vegetables such as plantains, potatoes and cassava. Another feature of the Grow More Food Campaign was to encourage Guianese to substitute locally grown food for imported food.
Government control of prices was also introduced with the increased production of food. on one hand and subsidising imports on the other hand to keep a balance throughout the war years.
Imported items such as shoes were also in short supply. To overcome this situation a lucrative shoe making industry sprang up. I recollect my mother always imported shoes from Oxendale in Manchester. She also imported dresses. Sometimes the boxes with these items took as long as three to six months to arrive. In fact I always looked very smart and even different in my shoes and dresses. I was the envy of everyone around. However, as the war continued we were unable to import shoes any longer. My shoes then had to be made by a local shoemaker. They never looked very neat and made my feet look longer than they really were. Then my mother resorted to having a pair of boots made as she thought they would last much longer than the shoes. This however caused me a lot of discomfort and embarrassment as the children in the Anglican school I attended, started calling me ‘PUSS IN BOOTS’.
I hated the teasing very much but found no immediate solution to my daily aggravation of being called all sorts of names. However eventually I did find a solution to the daily episode of name calling. I knew I couldn’t start a fight as that would have made matters worse. The fact was that the boots were never very neat and they made my feet look longer than they really were.
Finally I came up with a plan to cut the boots one day with a sharp razor blade. This however was definitely not approved by my mother and as a result I had to endure the humiliation of being flogged for ruining what my mother thought was a very neat pair of boots.
As the war continued, many people listened daily to their wireless sets. These were usually very large radios which were placed on a shelf attached to the wall. Everyone listened intently to the news on the progress of the war. Most people wanted Britain to win. However sometimes the news was not very welcoming as we heard about the number of ships that were sunk by the U-boats. There was one memorable catastrophe when the Simon Bolivar went down on its way to the Caribbean and some eminent Guianese lost their lives.
During the war an agreement was signed between Britain and America to least a portion of land at Atkinson Field in Guiana. The Americans had got permission to establish an air base there. This provided jobs for a number of local people. The base was built about thirty-eight miles from Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana. Among the vehicles which the Americans brought in was the Jeep – the first of its kind in Guiana.
Jobs were easy to get and very lucrative too. Everyone aspired to improve their standard of living and the Yankee Dollar helped them to improve their lifestyles. Working for the Yankee Dollar meant you were on the road to becoming quite rich and able to afford the luxury of acquiring a jeep.
The Americans also introduced Coco Cola and the expression ‘Have a Coke’ became very familiar. There was even a calypso which gained popularity among the adulst as well as children. Some of the words were as follows:
Rum and Coco Cola
Going down Pointu Manna
Rum and Coca Cola
Working for the Yankee Dollar.
There were also blackouts during the war when people were requested not burn very bright lights. The lights had to be dim to prevent discovery by the enemy.
Amidst all the restrictions, there were quite a few Guianese who were enlisted and British Guianese formed part of the Caribbean Forces. Volunteers were also sent to Egypt on standby. In addition two militia companies and a garrison a battalion strong were formed as a reserve force.
The arrival of the Zepplin, a balloon type airship was on special service in Guiana. This was an unusual attraction for us all. As children we were quite excited as it passed by. At times it flew very low and we would wave and shout welcoming the crew as we waved. We were sure the crew were delighted at the welcome they received although we were unable to see them.
This presentation of my wartime experiences brings back some interesting memories of my childhood in British Guiana. As children ten years and even older, waving to the zeplins as they passed by seemed to be one of the most important contributions we could make. At times we imagined seeing the crew waving back to us and that helped to create an indelible impression my mind even to this day.

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