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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Graham Lewis for Three Counties Action on behalf of Mrs Pip Page and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Page fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I spent the war in Kent and remember the ‘doodlebugs’ — the V1 rockets that the Germans sent over. We did not go into an air raid shelter but stayed at home and I remember waking up to find smashed glass all over the place. We children used to collect shrapnel from the bombs and rockets and swap pieces. I injured my finger handling a piece of shrapnel once.

One of my relations was a quartermaster sergeant abroad in the Military Police. He used to send us peanuts from time to time. I sold some of them at ten for a penny. We were of course short of fruit, sweets and chocolate, among other things, and peanuts were a rare treat. I remember how we used to cut up Mars bars in small slices so that everyone got a taste. I also remember when bananas came back on sale. We had not seen them for such a long time that it was a great thrill to eat one.

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