大象传媒

'This story was submitted to the People's War site by Gareth Sergeant on behalf of Gladys M. Pearson and has been added to this site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions'

I was a teenager in the war years and lived on a farm in Brackenfield, the work was done with four shire horses, no tractors. During the winter months my father and brother helped clear the surrounding lanes with the large wooden snow plough kept on the village green. the milk lorry was not able to get into the village to collect the milk churns so they were took on a large wooden sledge to a picking up point on the Alfreton to Matlock main road and bread was also took on the sledge from the bread lorry to the local co-operative shop in Wessington, all milking was by hand, and the cowsheds were very warm and cosy on the cold mornings.
The farm has a very steep hill, a tenanted farm still owned by the Ogsten Estates where my eldest son and his family still live, the young folk of the village spent many nights sledging in the moonlight. The German Bombers followed the Derby Chesterfield railway line and were clearly visible, flying low against the snow clad hillsides on their raids on the city of Sheffield with the searchlights lighting up the skies. The nearest bombs were on a farm outside Wessington, some dairy cows were killed and many had shrapnel wounds.

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