大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Sarah Housden of Norfolk Adult Education鈥檚 reminiscence team on behalf of Pattie Connie and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was born in a village called Fordham, near Ely, in 1918, at the end of the First World War. At the start of the Second World War
I was living with my family in Oxton near Birkenhead. My father had a massive heart attack near the beginning of the war, and had to retire, so when we were bombed out of our house, we decided to all move down to Fordham where I was to become a Land Girl. We had a cottage there, with a cellar which we used for storing food and as a shelter.

In Fordham I worked for a firm called Townsend, who had the Royal Warrant. They produced vegetables and fruit for the people of Newmarket, which was about five miles away. As a Land Girl I had a uniform to wear. I had a thick overcoat, thick trousers and very good shoes. I wore a felt hat, green jersey and beige shirt. We had stout leather boots for working.

I learned to drive a car and a lorry in the blackout. I had to take a test to drive the lorry in the blackout. Driving the lorry I was high above the cars and bicycles, and felt quite safe. The police sometimes stopped me at road blocks and they鈥檇 wonder 鈥淕oodness me, what have we got here? A woman driving a lorry!鈥� but after a few times they鈥檇 just wave me on because they knew who I was.

If you made your mind up to cope with rationing then you could. My Dad was extremely strict about not using the Black Market.

I met my husband before the war, and he used to help me sell produce on Cambridge market once a week. He was not in the Forces because he was severely diabetic. We married just after the war.

My brother was in the army, but died in action and was awarded the Military Cross.

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