- Contributed by听
- CSV Action Desk/大象传媒 Radio Lincolnshire
- People in story:听
- Joan Smith, Ronnie Orange, Alan Orange
- Location of story:听
- Yorkshire
- Background to story:听
- Civilian Force
- Article ID:听
- A4508769
- Contributed on:听
- 21 July 2005
My name is Joan Smith, my husband and I had a farm 鈥 Moss Lodge, Doncaster, S. Yorks. I am a farmer鈥檚 daughter, my farm had 3 farms; two at Moss Lodge, Doncaster and one at the Heywood. I have two sons and one daughter. When I had my daughter at Thorne Rd Hospital in 1942 I was laid in bed when a hand came through the window curtains 鈥 I shouted 鈥 Smithie what鈥檚 that?鈥 I was frightened but it only turned out to be the air raid warden to say there was a chink of light showing through the curtains.
We had two evacuee boys from Leeds for two years. They were Ronnie and Alan Orange. They were not used to Farm life 鈥 thought milk came out of a bottle until we took them milking! They didn鈥檛 know what a knife and fork were for 鈥 they ate their food with their fingers until I taught them otherwise. They used to spit on the bedroom walls. I soon stopped that! Their teachers were evacuated with them. We had a 300 acre farm with milking cows, beef, growing oats, wheat and beans for cattle food too.
Our 鈥榓ir raid shelter鈥 was under the table. We had plenty of aeroplanes over and we heard the bombing of Sheffield on the Thursday and Sunday of Sheffield Blitz.
Our neighbour had no air raid shelter and when the first sirens went the father took all his family out and sat them under a large tree, hoping that would shelter them 鈥 they were there until the next morning as they never heard the 鈥榗all clear鈥 sound!
We had two pigs and killed them both but we only had one permit to kill one, so the police took one pig away and of course we got no compensation. My husband was not pleased as when he saw the policeman coming he jumped off his tractor, leapt over a ditch to get home before the policeman but he was too late, there was the policeman at the door.
Our two evacuee boys left to go back to Leeds after 2 years but the eldest, Ronnie, did come back to see us 鈥 he was in the RAF. Also I looked after a little girl, Leslie, she loved the countryside so much she stayed and got married and is still here in Lincolnshire.
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