大象传媒

For some time the wireless had kept us informed of events in Europe. The few newspapers that came into our house showed maps and photographs of armies advancing into Germany, and the demolished towns and homeless people wandering the streets carrying their few possessions. To make it more authentic there were photos of Hitler鈥檚 bunker where he and Eva Braun had ended their lives in a suicide pact.

It was May 8th 1945 that World War Two in Europe was declared at an end. I personally can鈥檛 remember the correct sequence of it all but I know that one minute we were at war and what seemed like the next day, it was all over. I was fifteen and hadn鈥檛 been at work long. I was more interested in learning my job than outside happenings and remembered the supervisor saying. 鈥淎t last we can remove the sandbags and take the strips off the windows to let more light in, then perhaps you will be able to see better and not make so many mistakes!鈥� As a growing woman, I was more interested in the canteen meals; hoping that there would soon be proper meat and no more grey whale flesh.

Two days of national rejoicing had been declared. Newspapers showed what looked like all of London flocking down Whitehall, and along The Mall to crowd and dance outside Buckingham Palace. My parents didn鈥檛 go, which meant that I too stayed at home. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not all over yet, there鈥檚 plenty of time later to have a party,鈥� they cautioned. It was warm and sunny on V.E. day and a time of celebration, yet there was none in our street. I knew many families still had men fighting in the Far East, and they were naturally anxious for their safety. My brother serving on the submarines had not been heard of for months. V.J. day was on August 14th and my brother returned soon after that date.

I felt untouched by distant cruelties as with my friends we walked the streets to see what was going on. Disappointingly nothing much, apart from trains hooting and distant ship sirens. There were a few streets with parties for children. I felt that after so much death and deprivation, that street by street we should all be singing and dancing the day and night away. Deflated, we ambled home. Turning into our road we heard music and there on a tarpaulin was a piano and a man strumming the keys. We had a few jigs but it was a very sober affair and we soon left to go home. The news pictures showed people in the East End of London having parties, and I wondered why we hadn鈥檛 celebrated too.

The war was over and I expected shops to be filling with food, yet our rations were cut even further to be shared with liberated countries who had gone hungry for so long. There was a shop near home that had access to a private supply, and word got round that chocolate was on sale without any coupons nodded! The queue stretched right down the road, and the race was on to get as much as I could by dashing to the end of the line before the owner sold out.

I was desperate for stocking. My thick ones had been darned so often they were ugly. Painting legs with stocking makeup was alright as long as it didn鈥檛 rain. If I got caught in a shower my legs looked as if streaks of gravy was running down them. I heard of a haberdasher about three miles away who sold stockings every Saturday morning. One pair of nylons for each person. Their doors opened at 7.30 a.m. My mother and I were I in the queue at 5.30 a.m. and returned again to the back of the queue as long as stocks lasted.

Hanging from my bedroom window as I prepared for bed that memorable evening in May, a red sunset reminded me of the flames that had engulfed our home in Bath. I began to muse over the nights that I had spent in cold garden and stuffy deep shelters. running through streets dodging shrapnel and flying bombs and hiding under tables away from whistling bullets. The war was over and my family was alive.

My mother shouted up the stairs. 鈥� If you are going to get up in the morning, you鈥檇 better stop day dreaming and get to bed.鈥� Life was returning to normal.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.