大象传媒

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by volunteer Anita Howard from 大象传媒 Essex Action Desk on behalf of herself as a child (Anita M.Sackett) and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.鈥�

Childhood in Malta 1946 鈥� 1948

Leaving Tilbury, England on the P and O liner 鈥淥rontes鈥� for Valetta, Malta

My father worked at Little Staughton aerodrome in Bedfordshire as a station engineer helping to keep the airfield in good running order so that the aircraft could take off and land. As soon as the war ended he was sent to the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea where he also worked on the damaged airfields, badly bombed during the war.
My mother, little sister and I followed a year later having sold most of our possessions and vacating our council house. Fortunately she stored some of the large furniture which she could not take with her.

In May/June 1944 we travelled to London and then by boat train to Tilbury Docks where we were to board the 鈥淥rontes鈥� (P and O liner). The train was packed with passengers who were mainly service men in uniform and I can still smell the damp serge of the uniforms that they wore and the smoke which stung my eyes.
At Tilbury Docks my mother wouldn鈥檛 board the ship until she had seen our luggage craned onto the ship. We then walked up the steep gangway looking up to the decks above crowded with waving servicemen.
Once on board we were taken to our cabin and were lucky to have it all to ourselves. It was fun calling windows 鈥� portholes and our beds 鈥� bunks. I was allowed to have a top bunk as I was five; my sister, nearly two, was too small. She might have fallen out. We learned that the liner had taken many important people to England to celebrate the first Anniversary of V.E. Day and we were on its return voyage although I don鈥檛 know where its final destination was.

Breakfast and lunch were served in a grand restaurant at round tables covered with white linen table cloths. Silver service tea, coffee pots and cutlery were provided and of course proper napkins with silver napkin holders. The waiters were dressed in tailcoats, I think and it all seemed so very 鈥減osh鈥�. Mum told us to call the lavatory the 鈥渢oilet鈥� as she thought that was better etiquette although I believe we were correct with the first word.
As we were children we had our tea early as dinner was too late for us. I ordered porridge for breakfast as I鈥檇 never had it before and was most disappointed when it was served. Somehow I always thought Goldilocks had eaten pink porridge like blancmange. What a rude shock I got! We also tasted turkey for the first time, now that was a treat. Virginia had her second birthday on board so I suppose we had a little party though I don鈥檛 remember it.
Virginia and I used to play in the lift until we were told off and we ran up and down the corridors near our cabin. There were no en-suites then but communal bath rooms and toilets. There was a children鈥檚 play room and sometimes we would walk around the deck with my mother for some exercise. I remember one day it was very windy and as we rounded the stern the wind nearly blew us off our feet. Another time it rained on one side of the ship and not on the other.
At Gibraltar the servicemen disembarked and the ship was surrounded by lots of little brightly painted boats from which the boatmen were selling souvenirs. To get them up to the decks above, the items were hauled up and down by ropes. I wanted a leather camel but I was left wanting.
Most of our luggage was in the hold with labels saying 鈥淣OT WANTED ON VOYAGE鈥� but as we needed access to other clothes we were allowed into the 鈥淲ANTED ON VOYAGE鈥� hold. My mother used the ironing room where she taught me how to iron a handkerchief. For years after we still had the cases and trunks with the P and O and hotel labels on them.

The journey took one week and I鈥檒l never forget the day we arrived at Grand Harbour Valletta. I stood on the deck railings looking at the deep blue sea and the vivid blue sky with the honey coloured limestone buildings glowing under a warm sun. I held my little cardboard case with my initials A.M.S painted on by my father a year before.
Somewhere he was waiting for us on the quay side.
The harbour was filled with many naval ships and the naval officers and sailors looked very smart in their crisp white uniforms.
We descended the ladder on the ship鈥檚 side into a waiting launch and soon we were reunited with our father.

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