大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Eileen Parker of SEELB staff on behalf of Mrs Jean Kelly and has been added to the site with her permisssion. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

The 3rd September 1939 was a brilliantly sunny day and we were playing round the door when the news came that we were at war again. I was just going on 13, my sisters were 11 and 4.
In Annsborough Primary School we started to follow the course of the war on a huge map. We followed the troops over to France and home again after its fall and the evacuation from Dunkirk. My uncle Jim Allen was among those evacuated. He described the situation as 鈥渁 living hell鈥� and that is all he would say. He was then posted to Burma where he served with an 鈥榓ck-ack鈥� anti-aircraft gun. He was one of the lucky ones to survive the war and afterwards he completed a 鈥榮pecial鈥� course in teacher training and taught in Glenavy, near Lisburn. He is now dead. Dad鈥檚 brother Tommy was stationed in West Africa as a
Quartermaster sergeant and also survived. Various aunts worked in munitions factories in England.

The Home Front
My dad Archie served in the Home Guard and was on duty in the Castlewellan area when Belfast was bombed. We were all up late watching the red sky from the fires although its about 25 miles away. The bombers flew so low over Newcastle and
Strangford Lough that their markings could be seen. Out of the debacle evacuees were sent to our area: some settled locally whilst others returned to Belfast as soon as possible.
Food
Although there was rationing we did not fare as badly as the mainland. There were, and are, some good farms in our area
and of course the theme on the Home Front was鈥淒ig for Victory鈥�. We always had a vegetable garden at home and the primary school had a boys鈥� and girls鈥� garden which were completely given over to vegetables. These were sold to help school funds. The pupils contributed to 鈥淪ave for Victory鈥� and a Spitfire plane fund. There was a Spitfire named 鈥淏elfast鈥� and another called 鈥淓nniskillen鈥�.
Ration books entitled each person to 2 ozs per week of each necessary item. Wartime margarine was horrible and we would mix it with butter, the top of milk and a pinch of salt to help the flavour. The glad time of the year was when rhubarb or apples and blackberries were in season, and turnips and spuds. Champ and colcannon were common dishes but the dried eggs were horrible. Turnips were used to make jam. Mum used to complain, with justification, about the quality of the flour. A cake was baked using brown vinegar, grated carrot and whatever dried fruit we had. A neighbour, Thomas Carlisle,who worked for Short & Harland, used to hunt rabbits with gun, dog and ferrets. This made a welcome supplement, whether roasted or stewed.
Foodstuffs were smuggled from across the Border and confiscated if detected. Only doctors, vets and farmers could obtain petrol.
Gates, railings, household utensils and even books were taken to be recycled for the war effort. Now it would appear that this was only a propaganda exercise to make us feel good. I had to surrender a book I really treasured.
During the war I left school and worked first as a message girl in the local bleach works and then graduated to the Finishing Dept. (White Loft) in what was then a two storey building.
At break times messages about dates would be mimed across the road to the GIs billeted in Station Field, Mill Hill, Castlewellan.
Candy would be held out for us to collect on our way home.
The latest tunes were whistled and many鈥檚 a workmate danced her way along the footpath to the new melodies.
The British troops had paraded on Sundays to St. Paul鈥檚 Church of Ireland but the Americans went to all the local churches.
The GIs sang in the choir in our Presbyterian church while their chaplain shared the pulpit with Rev. James Bridgett.
After the Sunday evening services there would be a sing-along in Stranahan Hall, followed by tea and whatever 鈥榞oodies鈥� we could muster. My sister and I were allowed to go to this and, on occasion, to the Star Cinema in Castlewellan which was always crowded. We were not permitted to go to the dances.
My mother was on the rota of ladies who ran little tea parties on week nights in the Corncrane building in Castlewellan. This had been set up by Lady Larmor and others to make the troops feel at home. The Americans held a Christmas party for the children and there was a rich harvest of sweets and tinned fruit brought home. My little sister was absolutely delighted to receive a handmade wooden doll鈥檚 bed. Some adults went along to the party as well and the entertainment was good so the event was talked about for many a day.
At the wedding of a local girl and a GI the children of Annsborough were treated to a ride round the village in US jeeps.
Sadly we heard later that a large number of the Americans killed on D-Day had been stationed locally. Over the years the Chaplain and former soldiers, both British and American, came back to see us.
In the 1980s my husband and I and our granddaughter Penny Leigh made a trip to the D-Day museums and Utah beach. We travelled in our Volkswagen Caravanette and camped on a site at Bretville that had been a former German fortification.
Clothing
Clothing coupons were valuable so many makeovers were done: e.g. the best parts were taken from an old coat and made into a skirt. We acquired crepe-de-chine dresses with military style padded shoulders in green and blue. A strange hairy material was used for blankets and coats, in a greenish brown colour (not khaki). There was fake tan to simulate stockings but when the Yanks came silk stockings could be had. The clothing lasted for years, as did an ec41 label wardrobe and dressing table which we purchased at the end of the war.

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