大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Durham Clayport Library on behalf of Rose and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

鈥淲hat can we wear for the fancy dress, Mam?鈥� Joan and I chorused together.

鈥淒on鈥檛 worry, I will rig ye both out. Now go out and play鈥� she shouted amidst the steamy washing.

The just by chance 鈥� and lucky for Joan 鈥� we had a visitor the very next day. It was Nellie, one of our Harry鈥檚 girlfriends (or friends/girls) who often popped in for a cup of tea. Even though he was still away in the RAF finishing off the war, these girls still called to see Mam.

Anyway Nellie said she had just the outfit for our Joan 鈥� no mention of anything for little Rosie (me). That was my first stab of jealousy. The next day the outfit arrived and our Joan looked a real Bobby Dazzler in a Russian Girl鈥檚 dancing costume. It had a black embroidered bolero, a white cotton long-sleeved blouse, flowered garland on her head, plus a tambourine.

鈥淓ee, isn鈥檛 she a picture!鈥� they all chorused 鈥淏y, mind, yes she鈥檒l do very nicely鈥�

鈥淲hat about me?鈥� I whinged, pulling at Mam鈥檚 pinny.

鈥淎lright, hinny, Aa鈥檒l fix ye up timmorrow鈥�

And so she did. My rig-out had to be seen to be believed. It consisted of a three-sizes-too-big orange bridesmaid鈥檚 frock from the 1930鈥檚, rucked at the waist with a piece of elastic, a straw bonnet with a cascade of forget-me-nots on the brim tied with a wide ribbon under my chin. Granda鈥檚 walking stick painted silver festooned with matching ribbons and bows, sandshoes painted silver to match the stick representing a crook, oh and a dog on wheels impersonating a sheep with matching ribbons around its neck and on its ears.

Complaining about the squeak when pulling the thing, Mam said to drag it behind, like Little Bo Peep in the nursery rhyme. I argued that it was the lambs who dragged their tails behind them - to no avail.

I was not pleased at all with this rig out and rebelled at my pig tails, 鈥榗os Joan was allowed to have her hair loose to go with thecostume whereas I would 鈥渂e sure to catch dickies鈥�. It was then that I absolutely refused to wear my National Health spectacles.

鈥淪hepherdesses,鈥� I complained 鈥渄o not wear glasses鈥�

So now I was a boss-eyed Little Bo Peep and couldn鈥檛 see straight, but it was a slight improvement. Party Day arrived 鈥� it was to be held in the Trade Union Hall behind Station Road. After seeing some of the other rigouts from other contestants, when we assembled for the parade, I didn鈥檛 feel so bad, apart from some of the lads kicking my dog-lamb about.

But guess who won First Prize? Yes, our Joan stole the show, prancing around like a peacock in that Russian outfit with the skirt bobbing up and down when she walked; banging on her tambourine. I wished that someone would ask her to do a Russian Dance 鈥榗os I knew she couldn鈥檛 do any.

Joan received a nice book, I think, and when the rest of us got a penny and a bag of sweets, it wasn鈥檛 so bad. Mam and Dad were so proud of her and 鈥y now鈥� so was I and still am.

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