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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Sarah Housden of Norfolk Adult Education’s reminiscence team on behalf of Rosemary Manley and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

During the war I worked at Lawrence and Scott’s in Norwich for four and a half years as a munitions worker. I was called up when I was seventeen and a half. The letter said that I had a choice of the Land Army, the Forces or munitions and I plumped for the latter. I trained as a milling machinist at Norwich City College for three months, and then they sent me to Lawrence and Scott’s where we mostly did work for submarines and ships. As I was single I had to work a month on days then a month on nights. Night shift was 8pm to 8am, with an hours break in the middle and two ten minute tea breaks. I was working at Hardy Road in the main works and as there was no canteen open there at nights we had to go up to the Thorpe Road works for our meal. On night shift there was a man called Eric who played the piano during the break. Me and my friend Edna used to get up and sing all the old wartime songs arm in arm. Some people had tears in their eyes as we sang as the songs had such a nostalgic feel to them.

There was a submarine called the Thetis which had been hit by a mine. They resurrected it after taking the bodies off and we were given the job of taking a thousandth of an inch off all these copper sections so that they could be used again. We worked flat out that week to get the job done, and at the end of the week we all got a bonus. With my wages it came to £5 and I went to Bonds and bought myself a dress. Normally my wages were about £2 10s.

If there was bombing we used to go down to shelters. One night there was really heavy bombing and the shelter was shaking. In the morning the bus was late to take us home and as we went through the streets of Norwich we saw Curls flattened. Lawrence and Scott’s was never hit though.

I was going out with Arthur before the war, but he was sent to Egypt for four years so I didn’t see him for all that time. We kept in touch by writing letters, and got married after the war. (When Arthur came out of the Forces he got £60 and a de-mob suit to start him on his way).

I lived with my parents at Larkman Lane and went to church at Colney. There were four lads billeted in Colney parish hall — Dennis, John, Raymond and one other. We used to have dances, and one night Raymond asked me to go out with him. Although I had doubts because I was loyal to Arthur, I agreed to meet him. However, I came down with pleurisy and so we never did get together. Another night, Dennis asked me out to the Hippodrome. He paid our bus fair but when we got there he asked me whether I had any money to pay for us to get in, as he hadn’t got any. I gave him a ten shilling note, expecting some change, but he bought two 5s tickets with it. An expensive night out that turned out to be for me!

My mother had a Morrison Shelter but I felt like a caged animal in there, even though my Dad put in a mattress and some blankets. Dad used to do fire watch duty, so Mum was alone if I was on nights and she didn’t like that much.

In those days, people pulled together, sharing and knitting for each other. Dad grew loads of vegetables as we had a huge garden. We were almost self-sufficient and didn’t have to buy a lot.

My sister had two evacuees from Wood End in London. They were poor little kids, were terrified of cows and found life far too quiet in Colney village. They stayed three months but then wanted to go back to the noisy city.

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