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Questionnaire
Gran — Mary Webster — born 1929

Did you get evacuated?
No, I was in Sunderland all the time.
Did you know anyone who got evacuated?
Yes, I had a friend who was evacuated — Rona Slater.
Did she enjoy it?
She enjoyed it because she was with relatives. She would have preferred to be a home, of course, but she liked it because she was in the country.
Where was she evacuated to?
Corbridge, in Northumberland.
Who was she with?
She was with an auntie and a cousin.
What did you do for fun?
We used to read books, you know, as people do. We used to do knitting — knit scarves and mittens for the forces.
What did you eat?
We had our rations. We didn’t have eggs but we had dried eggs, powdered. We had meat, corned beef, vegetables. We did very well in our house; my mam shared stuff out. We didn’t have any lavish meals, that’s for sure! Butter, sugar, all of those were rationed.
Could you go out at any time, even during the blackouts?
We did, but not very often, just to our friends. I used to carry a little torch with me and shine it low down, just so you could see where you were walking.
Did your father do anything?
He was in the army, a soldier.
How often did he come home?
It all depended where they were. Sometimes, it was about three or four months, but it all depended where the army were and what they were up to.
(He was born in 1900, and lied about his age to fight in the First World War. After the war, he joined the Territorial Army, and was on a two week training course when the war broke out. He was brought back straight away to fight.)

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