大象传媒

I was born in March 1937, the eight of ten children, six girls and four boys. My father was a farm manager and my mother a farmer's wife, mother and housewife.

I remember my mother having to 'make do and mend' when the wartime rationing was on. She made us clothes, she 'turned' sheets and made 'peg' rugs from old bits of clothing and other cloth. Being very clever with her hands and artistic talents she also made us toys for Christmas and birthday presents. I had a wooden doll one Christmas and my brother one up from me in age had a railway engine complete with chimney and wheels and painted red and green. She made cakes with dried egg, she also kept chickens so we did have fresh eggs as well. Her rabbit and hard boiled egg pies were delicious.

My father, who was in the East Surrey Regiment in the first world war was an officer in the Home Guard throughout the war and HQ was in Ixworth. My oldest brother, now about 81 years of age served in the Pioneer corp from 1944 and went to France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. My oldest sister now 85 years of age was in the WRAC from 1939 to 1943 based in Bury St Edmunds. Another sister now 83 years of age worked on the farm until she married a soldier in 1943 and the next sister (down the line!) served in the Royal Observer Corp based in Bury St Edmunds. When they came home whether evenings or weekends they always used bicycles!

All five sisters married military service men the one up from me in age married an American (USAF) and has resided in the USA since 1957.

There was an Andersen Shelter in the farmyard, but mostly I remember sleeping underneath the big dining table if a raid was imminent. I remember (and so does my younger brother) being woken up to see a doodlebug zooming over which landed and exploded in local woodland. I had a very sweet tooth and was fortunate to have a brother and a sister with sugar intolerance wo we were able to share their sweet ration between us.

I had a Mickey Mouse Gas mask which I had to take to school when I started in 1942, we had to hang them on our coat hooks.

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