大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by J. Gratty of Congleton Library on behalf of Pamela R. Lawton and has been added with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was 9 years old when the War started, and I was a member of Congleton Girl Guides, who met at the Annex of the home of Miss Iris Hall in Chapel Street.

On Saturday afternoons, two Guides had to walk to Astbury Vicarage to play with the evacuees and help with the teas, which were usually a large slice of bread ('Door-stops') covered in a rhubarb and ginger jamp, which ran all over it. We enjoyed a cup of tea and a bun.

On Sunday afternoons, two other Guides had to go to Congleton War Memorial Hospital to wash dishes. We were not allowed to leave the kitchen, and Matron White kept an eye on us.

After Guides one night, after black-out, I was walking home with the Guide Captain, Miss Miller, along West Road when a German plane dropped a flare which lit up the whole of the road, which I thought, as a child, was wonderful -- but it made Miss Miller very anxious.

Friday night after Guides was "Chip Shop" night, at a shop in Antrobus Street. Many young American soldiers used to be in the queue and one beautiful starry night one of the young soldiers looked at the sky and said it was just like the sky at home in Texas, and for the first time, as a child, I recognised home-sickness.

There were a lot of parades in town, the Guides always marching at the back. I always remember what a wonderful sight the Scottish Torontos were with their kilts swirling as they marched into Market Street.

To encourage people to save, the Local Authority ran a competition for a slogan, and a school friend (Ann Gee who became a local hairdresser in later years) won with "Lend to the Nation, Defeat Domination" This slogan appeared on banners round the town -- carried in many of the marches.

I lived in West Street, next door to Miss Roades house, where Dutch Troops were billeted. They used to have the downstairs windows and doors open and I watched with amazement at the amount of food they had, especially butter to cook with, when it was on ration, as they put it in large roasting tins. I used to watch like a "Bisto kid".

I can remember Prince Bernhardt of the Netherlands taking the salute on the steps of the Lion and the Swan, as the Dutch soldiers marched by.

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