大象传媒

We lived at a small place called Tehidy just outside Camborne, with the refugees from London there were 7 of us living in a two bedroomed bungalow!
I never remember being hungry during the war years. Living in the country was proberbly a help.
Mum raised chickens and we grew vegetables and had fruit trees and bushes. Dad was in the Home Guard and had a rifle - he used it to shoot rabbits in the woods behind our property.
I have a vivd memory of sitting in our Anderson Shelter and hulling gooseberries with Gran - not because there was an airaid on, but to keep out of the hot sun!
Mrs Roberts our neghbour was a Diabetic so she gave her sugar coupons to Mum in exchange for fresh eggs from ouir chickens.
I used to help collect the eggs every morning and put them in boxes for a man who collected them for wider distribution in the area. Or perhaps they went to factories to be made into dried eggs.
Meat was of course on ration,but the local butcher had a soft spot for Mum, and used to put a bit extra by for her when he could. Mum said she did not tell Dad until years later! The local farmer used to bring a bit of pork round occasionally.
I remember some of the recipes we used. There was a vegetable pasty or pie (could it have been Walton Pie?) My favourite was baked apple. There was also something called junket which tasted horrid!
As well as eating the rabbits Mum used their fur to make mittens for myself and my sister Joyce, to wear in the winter.
Many years after the war we became friendly with a German Dr and her daughter and visited their home in Germany. Frau Wagner asked Mum about the War in England, and how we managed for food. Mum explained the arrange ments. Frau Wagner told us that they were told that the British were starving. She also told us that they WERE starving by the end of the hostilities.
So despite german Efficiency, it looks as if we were better organised in the end.

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