大象传媒

MY WAR

As Written By

OLIVE COX
2ND JULY 1995

Updated for 大象传媒 WW2 Website 02/11/03

This is the story of my Grandmothers years in the war. It has been typed out, almost word for word, for any of my children and grandchildren to read

Marie-Ann Capps (nee Hutchin)
5 July 1995
Updated 02/11/03

鈥淚 was a nursemaid at a house in Stock, Essex when war started. I had a boyfriend called Dennis since I was 16 years old. In 1942, the house being large, it was made into a girls school and I came back to Chelmsford, Essex to live.

My friend was going into the A.T.S. (Auxillary Territorial Army ~ Women) and I wanted to go with her. My father said no. If I wanted to do war work I could go to Hoffmann鈥檚, makers of Ball Bearings and Marconi鈥檚 both in Chelmsford, Essex. So I chose Hoffmann鈥檚 as my Dad was already working there.

The hours were 7.30 am - 5.15 pm with 1 hour for dinner, 7.30 - 11.00 am on Saturday mornings. We had to work at least two nights a week overtime until 7.30 pm with a half hour break. Looking back the days seemed long. The glass roof was blacked out for obvious reasons so we saw very little daylight.

Steel came into the Turret view (where my Father worked) and was cut to various sizes and round shapes, then into the Grinding shop and view where my sister worked. All the rough edges were ground down and polished and then passed onto the Batching view where the bearings were laid in trays all the same size. Lastly they were sent to Final view where I worked and measured to accuracy of the finished bearings. There is an outer and inner case, I measured the latter. Then onto Lapping view where the two were assembled plus the balls etc.

Over the age of 18 years I had to work nights. Six nights of 12 hours with 1 hour for dinner 11-12 midnight. In the fields near the factory was a Barrage Balloon site plus airmen. We used to spend our dinner break in their hut drinking tea etc. Often watching the Balloon go up and down if there was an Air Raid. The money was good. I went from 18 shillings and 6 pence a week (about 85p) to 拢7 plus bonuses of 拢1.50. It was a lot of money to us. My stepmother complained that I earned more than my father.

We had Ration Books

2 oz tea
4 oz sugar When available (I have drunk tea without sugar from that day.)
2 oz butter
4 oz meat
1 egg per week
1 box Powdered egg.

I never handled Ration Books. We never learnt to cook partly as there was no time and food could not be wasted.
There was not a lot of bombing in Chelmsford. Mostly planes dropping bombs in surrounding fields if they could not reach London. There were Barrage Balloons right up to the outskirts of London. Hoffmann鈥檚 did have a couple of bomb attacks and damage and casualties but I was never in the building at the time.

We had a big Anderson shelter in the house about 10 ft square, steel topped with mesh sides and we used to sleep in that if the sirens went. It had to serve as a table because it took up all the space.

We often had evacuees down from the East End. Mothers and small children. They complained about being in the country, hated the fields and scuttled back to London as soon as possible. We also had Service men billeted in our houses - Polish Airmen - Soldiers etc. They came to Marconi's on courses. Radar was just being invented. They would stay for about a month and wives would come too if they were married. As they were Armed Forces they received extra rations.

I became engaged to Dennis in 1942 and he was called up for the Army and sent to Africa. Across in Sicily he was injured in a lorry accident and was sent home in 1944. End of the Army. When he recovered he was a carpenter and was sent to East London to help repair the houses. At this time we had another boarder who worked at Marconi's on secret things. He wasn鈥檛 allowed to talk about anything. I think a German Battleship had been sunk by this new Radar Equipment.

My sister, Irene, was younger than me. At this time American Soldiers and Airmen had begun to arrive at airfields etc. around Chelmsford. Boreham, Dunmow and Wethersfield. Their allowances were much higher than our Soldiers and the town soon filled up on Friday and Saturday nights. Little Khaki jeeps were everywhere. They seemed to have an unlimited supply of petrol or gas. My sister met one called John and had a great time. Lorries would come into the town and take the girls out to their camps for dancing and food. Eventually she was allowed to bring John home. He came laden with butter, cheese, coffee (we had never drunk coffee), bacon and sweets for us. Needless to say he was very welcome.

Rene and John used to go to dinner at the Strand Palace Hotel in London and dancing at Rainbow Corner in Piccadilly. As I was engaged to Dennis I would not take any part in these outings. John鈥檚 brother Andy was a Flying Officer lately arrived and wanted to take me out. (Looking back Andy is now a millionaire with his own very successful business with his and hers Cadillac鈥檚 in the garage).
This was now 1944 with D-Day around the corner. John was sent over to France. He and others fashioned runways and hangars in airfields - laying miles of concrete having already built the Boreham and Dunmow airfields. Andy was sent to Peterborough and we came back to ordinary rations and no sweets. Life was hard.

Bulletins came over the factory radio and also we had Workers Playtime every day. I worked amongst about 100 girls and everyone sang to the latest songs with Vera Lynn, Ann Shelton and hosts of other stars. By the way we still had our hush-hush lodger whose name was Leslie. Nb: (my grandfather). My Stepmother had friends in Bournemouth and in September 1944 went down to stay for a holiday. This was the time of 鈥淒oodle Bugs鈥�, aircraft with no pilots which crash landed on London and Southern England day and night. Although we felt we were winning the war these were unknown nightmares doing a lot of damage. The War of the Atlantic when so many Merchant Ships were sunk seemed to have finished. A great deal of German submarines were sunk. Also the ports in Germany where they were made were heavily bombed. Willehmshaven and along the Keil Canal were prime targets. Also the infamous V2 rockets were coming over which were here before the sirens went and could not be detected. These added a new dimension to the War.

My Stepmother wrote to say she was coming home and could we meet her at Waterloo Station. Leslie said he would be pleased to escort me and I managed to get off work and we caught a train to London and thence to Waterloo to await my Stepmother鈥檚 arrival at 8.45 pm. Unknown to us she had caught an earlier train and got herself home.

The air raid sirens wailed and explosions and gunfire banged around us. Most rail stations were closed so we had to stay on Waterloo Station all night with no food or drink. We arrived back home the next morning very tired etc. I also had to account for my time off.

Christmas 1944 came and went and Leslie and myself became in those days 鈥渂etter acquainted.鈥� He was ten years older than myself and my father suggested I found 鈥渟omeone my own age.鈥� By now I had broken my engagement with Dennis for this new love of my life. My Stepmother asked Leslie to find somewhere else to live and when I said I would go too she said no more about it. By this time I was on nightwork, six nights a week, which did not leave much time for social life. When I got home in the morning Leslie had already left for work.

On 21st December 1944 a two ton rocket dropped on the War factory killing about forty people. My father was then on nightwork and I went down with Leslie to try to find him. Most of the houses around were down or damaged. Christmas decorations all over the roads. Lots of people trying to stop sightseers but knowing the layout of the different floors in the factory I left Leslie and eventually found my Dad shocked but unhurt. The nurses around said I could walk him slowly home which was about a mile away and we eventually arrived there. He insisted on going to work the next night but he seemed to have changed overnight.

Eventually Winter turned to Spring. Allied troops were fighting along all fronts towards Germany with the Russians fighting from the East. It became a time of joy with everyday some new Victory announced. We had radio bulletins every hour and lots of cheering through the departments. The last months of the War I had been transferred to the Small Arms department testing and inspecting rifle bullets. This was in complete darkness with lights only over the cubicles in which we worked. We were allowed five minutes off every hour. March and April were warm months. I still remember my five minute breaks to stand out in the sun.

By this time rocket sights had been found and heavily bombed at Peenamunde so they had almost ceased. All the airfields around were very busy. All day and night, Flying Fortresses in large formations flew over the town with Marauder fighters as escorts with the large white star on. When they returned red flares were thrown out if there was dead or injured on board. 1000 bomber raiders we watched go out at dusk when there was no moon. Wonderful sights.

Every day we had bulletins with our Workers Playtime. During late April the rockets had all but ceased. The big event locally was the wedding of the girl next door. Coupons were scrounged for material for the dress. We used to go to the market on Saturdays and tell the stall holders we worked at Hoffmann's and we could buy clothes without coupons. We had twenty to last six months and a coat was eighteen so we cultivated our own Black Market very successfully. Anyway the wedding was a huge success. We kept chickens so six eggs went for the cake. The neighbours gave small amounts of butter and sugar. We sure wished John was around with the PX rations. Anyway a large cake was produced and we all tasted it and it was good.

End of April the weather was hot. I was then on night work so saw some of the lovely weather. All getting excited as the War seemed to be ending. Italy had been invaded and almost defeated. Most of the army had surrendered. I think Dictator Mussolini had been captured and hung upside down from a pole. We were joyful.
Have not mentioned the Far East War. We heard only what Churchill and the government considered was good for morale. He gave a very sad radio broadcast on the fall of Singapore in 1942. We heard of two large battleships sunk in the China Seas with great loss of life. The 14th Army was sent to Burma to block the Japanese advance to India. Prisoners were taken in vast amounts and we only learnt the full horror of their imprisonment after the war. I personally knew one soldier. 6 ft 2 in tall who came home weighing six stone. He said there were thousands like him. At least he managed to stay alive to come home as men died from starvation, dysentery etc. etc. all around him. This was mostly the Americans war with all the Pacific Islands being fought over most savagely.

The Japanese thought it an honour to die for their country with of course huge casualties on both sides. But during April the Allied Powers seemed to be getting the upper hand. The Jap armies never reached India or Australia, I praise be.

Beginning of May. The river Rhine had been crossed from the West and the Russians were heading to Berlin from the East. Our papers were about five pages thick but we read every word. Church Bells sounded for different victories. They had been silenced for the duration to ring only for an Invasion. First week in May flew past.

May 7th - Fall of Berlin. Crazy, crazy time.

May 8th - Germany surrendered.

I did not go to work that day and neither did Leslie. We caught a train to London and walked from Liverpool Street station right along past St. Pauls and bomb damaged City to the Strand, which was full of people singing and dancing down the Strand toward Trafalgar Square. I think what buses there were gave up the struggle.

The square was just a mass of people with soldiers etc. sleeping in doorways and curbsides with their rifles propping up their kit bags. Everyone has seen the newsreels lately. Well I was there! We danced and sang and joined hands in a huge crocodile down to Whitehall and Mr Churchill and Government came out on the Treasury Balcony to a huge roar of voices. He gave his Victory sign and we blew him kisses and laughed and shouted. London had never seen the like.
The crocodiles of solid masses of people then wound their way through St. James鈥檚 Park to Buckingham Palace. A huge chant began. 鈥淲e want the King鈥� over and over until at last the balcony doors opened and out came the Royal Family. Another great roar of singing and laughing. By this time it was around 6 pm and the doors opened again and the Royal Family and Mr Churchill came out to cheers and roars from the crowds. To this day I still do not know how he could have got from Whitehall to the Palace but there he was. It was a blazing hot day. I cannot even remember eating or drinking at all. Spent all evening around the Palace. Must have looked good from inside.

It gradually became twilight and the Palace was floodlight for the first time. The balcony doors opened again to the roars of the crowd. Who ever imagined going home? We lived thirty miles from London. Midnight and Big Ben chimed and the Royal Family came out again for the last time.

After living in hope of another view the crowd drifted off into St. James鈥檚 and Green Park. It was a lovely warm night and we all lay out on the grass and slept. As soon as it was daylight (around 4 am) Leslie and myself and thousands more walked up the Mall as by this time everyone was ravenous. Walked back to Liverpool Street and found a caf茅 open around 7 am. We had tea and toast and realised how hungry we were.

Got back to Chelmsford around midday. A note from Leslie鈥檚 Department saying 鈥淲here was you?鈥� and please report as soon as possible. I went back to work the next day and were all informed that the War was not over in the Far East. It was hard to settle down to work with the beautiful summer days outside.

By this time Leslie had asked me to marry him against my Dad鈥檚 wishes. So one weekend at the end of July they were on holiday in Bournemouth we packed our bags and moved up to London finding a flat in south west London. I also got a job in Fleet Street. I heard from sister that there was a Court Summons to make me return to the factory. As she was the only one who knew my address nothing was heard about it. The War in the Far East dragged on until August. I went out to buy a paper with screaming headlines 鈥淎tom Bomb Dropped on Two Towns in Japan with hundreds of thousands killed.鈥� How we cheered. Japan surrendered, the date I cannot remember. More celebrations around the Palace, this time we had somewhere to walk back to. The days went into weeks and everything settled down.

My sister鈥檚 American Boyfriend came back to England briefly and promised to send for her. By this time she had also left home staying with an Aunt in Southend. One cold windy night in March after clearing all the papers and Dollars sent from John we met at Euston for the night train to Glasgow and thence to Prestwick for a flight to U.S.A. This was March 1946 and I did not see her again until 1962. She wrote of the wonderful food and fruit stores and sent my Dad food parcels.

Leslie and I bought a little house in south east London and were very happy. Sent my dad the address and he and my Stepmother came up to see us one weekend.

I bought bits of second hand furniture as all new furniture was controlled by dockets and you could only qualify if you had children and were bombed out. We managed a bed, table and armchairs and brought them back in three journeys with a barrow. This seemed the end of my war. I married Leslie had three girls, *Vanessa, Juanita and Julia, and moved house around every three years.

We eventually moved back to Chelmsford and in 1961 I found work as an auxiliary nurse in the local hospital. Eventually did my training as a 鈥渕ature student鈥� and have been and still working in 1995 as a trained nurse.

I am now 81 and the Grandmother of eight Grandchildren, *Marie-Ann Capps, Natalie Clark, Emily Peragau, Caroline, Mathew, Wesley, William and Chloe Bines, and I have two Step-grandchildren Sarah Bines and Patrick Bines and a Great Granddaughter, Natalie Capps and Great Grandson, Harland Clark.

And so life goes on.鈥�

Olive Cox
02/07/95
Updated for 大象传媒 WW2 website 02/11/03

* I have added the names of Children and Grandchildren etc. for information.

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