大象传媒

This story is bu Audrey Hinchcliffe

MY MEMORIES OF V.E. DAY at Tankersley

Unfortunately I was only 4 or 5 years old at the time and my recollections are rather sketchy, the people who would know are no longer with us.
All day my mum and my aunty baked bread, buns and cakes and made jelly and trifles. Then, when the bread was ready, they made sandwiches of anything they could lay their hands on - potted meat, spam, cheese, egg. Then someone collected them in a wicker laundry basket and took them down to the old school hall which in those days had a stage and doubled up as an air raid shelter, the children used to go under the stage if the sirens went during school hours.
After tea, my aunty and uncle came and I was dressed ready to go out which was all very exciting because I was usually in bed by 6.30 to 7p.m. As my aunty used to say I needed my 鈥渟huteye鈥�. We all walked down to the school along with some of our neighbours. Once there, we all lined up into rows and were given torches on long sticks . I was hoisted onto dad鈥檚 shoulders, the torches were lit and we all set off up the new road towards Lady鈥檚 Folly singing as we went songs such as Run Rabbit Run, Roll out the Barrel, Heart of my Heart, Lily of Laguna, The White Cliffs of Dover etc.
When we arrived at the folly someone had previously erected a huge bonfire which we all threw our torches on to and set it alight. Then we all came back for the bun fight as my dad called it. Afterwards one or two people got up on the stage and gave us a turn, then we had a dance to the accompaniment of the piano.

V.J. DAY
Trestle tables were set up in what used to be known as the Square. Out came the trusty laundry baskets, again to carry the food in for another bun fight, and I am sorry, but that鈥檚 all I can remember folks.

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