- Contributed by听
- Flyingspeedwell
- People in story:听
- Jack P. Frearson
- Location of story:听
- The Home Front
- Background to story:听
- Merchant Navy
- Article ID:听
- A2071658
- Contributed on:听
- 23 November 2003
TEN
When at home on leave,food rationing made us appreciate how well off we were at sea (despite all the complaints we were wont to make on board), so it was the custom for most of us to try to bring home a box of "goodies" for our families at the end of a voyage. (Tinned fruit, meats, fresh oranges, bananas were favourites).
There was one occasion however,when I wasn't entirely successful. As none of the above "goodies" were available in North Africa, I knew that onions were scarce at home but were plentiful at our last port of call, Oran. Armed with a sack of them I was sure that all the family and many of our neighbours would be delighted - and I would be very popular !
Unfortunately, I had to return home from Hull, where we had docked the previous day after a scary trip round Scotland and the North Sea where we had dodged one or two E-Boats.
I had to travel across the North of England in a very crowded and unlit troop train which took eight hours and several changes to reach my home town of Preston.
I was compelled to leave my sack of onions outside the compartment because of their strong smell and consequent complaints from my fellow passengers.
That smell must have attracted most of the passengers on the trains for, at each stop and changing station, I discovered that my haul was getting smaller and smaller until at my destination there remained an almost empty sack with only three or four small onions left.
What a splendid opportunity for my fellow travellers - some of their families must have
enjoyed a rare treat of Spam and Onions on arrival at home !
Things looked up however when I left the train at Preston Station for there, on the platform, doing her duty, was my own Mum serving tea from the WVS canteen on platform 4 to the new
arrivals.
I was very glad to get that 'cuppa', as I am sure were hundreds of other servicemen !
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I would like to add a note of gratitude to all those organisations that looked after us during the war. Notably, The Salvation Army, The Flying Angel Missions to Seamen, and of course, The Women's Voluntary Service (Now the RWVS).
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