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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Thanks For The Memory

by Essex Action Desk

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Archive List > United Kingdom > London

Contributed by听
Essex Action Desk
People in story:听
Mrs Keen
Location of story:听
Upminster & West Horndon
Background to story:听
Civilian
Article ID:听
A4665053
Contributed on:听
02 August 2005

I was called up in 1939/40 to be involved with the Munitions at the Rotary Halls in West Horndon towards Brentwood. It was very dirty and we had to take the rough edges off the equipment. There was another part of the factory that were producing the Bombs.

The days were long, starting at 7.30am and ending at 6pm. We worked Saturday's too, but only for half a day. I did this job for four and half years until the end of the War. I was 21 at the time of starting the job. I was very lucky to be at home too. We would spend the evenings in our gaden Anderson Shelter and sitting up all night long.

Our rations includes one ounze of butter and some meat. Only Babies would be allowed Bananas. I went to London for VJ Day and It was very busy and because of the large amounnt of people we could not reach Buckingham Palace. All our neighbours has joined in for a VE Day party too.

We were also based near Hornchurch Aerodrome and saw the planes fly past. We were also lucky not to get bombed.

We also saw the Basket Bombs, which would fall to the ground and then catch fire. Doodle Bugs came past us but never hit. As soon as the War broke out we thought It would start right away, so we got our Gas Masks on.

It was all new to me as well, and I had never been in a factory before. You couldn't sit down either. Some men were still working at the factory with us although most had gone off to War. We were made redundent once the War ended and also because the men came back fron the front line.

I got married in 1949 and even then rations were still active. My Husband had been with the 8th Army in Egypt and had been posted there for four to five years working for Fords and he was an engineer on the Tanks and Scout cars. I had met him after the War though.

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