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I was nineteen years old when war broke out and was working at a Plant Nursery. During the war lots of sweet corn was grown especially for the American soldiers who were stationed nearby at Bushy Park. They would call every morning for their sweet corn. I later worked for Marks & Spencer at Hounslow.

One of my most vivid memories was when I was at the weekly Wednesday night dance with my friend who worked at the E.M.I Aircraft Factory. The air raid siren sounded when we were cycling home. We hurried as fast as we could because I knew that my mother would be worried. It was a very bad attack; Molotov baskets and aircraft overhead. I panicked, thinking that we would be hit by shrapnel. The bombs just missed us and, fortunately, we got home safely.

I can remember rationing — dried eggs and whale meat, and my mother used to cook corned beef in batter, which I really didn’t like.

I had a costume made from blankets and we would dye our coats in order to have a change of colour.

I was married during the war and my husband was in the Royal Navy serving on the Ajax. His sister worked at the Admiralty and plotted all his movements so she knew exactly where he was all the time. Of course, due to the Official Secrets Act, she was unable to tell me and I had no idea where he was.

My father was in the Army at Dunkirk and my brother in the Royal Air Force. My father came home but we had heard that my brother was missing until one day we had a telegram saying that he was safe and we went to meet him from the train at St Pancras station.

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