大象传媒

I lived in Keighley during the war working in the mills, either burling, weaving or mending. My most vivid memory of this time was that of boredom, even though I did have a fairly good social life, with people being genuinely friendly, with some boys still around! They had to stay to do essential works in the engineering factory.

We were fairly lucky in Keighley, escaping the bombings. This I believe was largely thanks to Keighley鈥檚 location within a hollow, which along with the factory smoke largely obscured it from the view of the bombers. However, I definitely hated the rationing of food and clothes, having to make do and mend. Nylons couldn鈥檛 be bought and legs had to be dyed using potassium permanganate, and then somehow drawing a line up the back of the leg. There was nothing to look forward to.

The mills were never as busy as in wartime and this had a profound effect on work life. We produced cloth for the American soldiers. I remember how it was brown in colour with a nice smooth finish. We also produced khaki, which was rough and made fingers bleed when handling it. When the sirens went however, all work came to a halt and as workers we had to stay down in the cellars until the all clear was sounded.

Both of my brothers were in the Navy and it felt like Christmas when they returned home due to all the extra food they brought with them. Father was crippled with rheumatoid arthritis and couldn鈥檛 get called up.

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