大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Sarah Housden of Norfolk Adult Education鈥檚 reminiscence team on behalf of Margaret Scott and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I lived in Norwich throughout the war apart from ten weeks in Tharston (near Long Stratton) after the blitz on Norwich. My aunt, uncle, their two daughters and me, went to live on a farm called Mill Farm. There was a river running through it where we used to play making miniature gardens. My Grandmother and Grandfather stayed at another farm just up the road. My parents used to come and visit sometimes and stayed with another family just up the road. Eventually I went home, and if ever there was a moonlight night my Mother and I used to go out on the bus and stay in the country because there was a greater risk of bombing on moonlight nights.

While we were staying on the farm, one night we heard a raid in the distance. I was afraid, and because they didn鈥檛 have a shelter I got down on my hands and knees in the dark to crawl under the table. At the end of the raid the oil lamp was lit, and it turned out that I hadn鈥檛 been under the table at all! I had felt safe though, and that was what counted.

During the summer, when I was at home, I would sleep in the Anderson Shelter all night. I remember saying 鈥淕oodnight鈥� to the neighbours as I passed them in the garden. I was scared stiff, even in the shelter, and would shake with fright. Mum and Dad used to come down and join me if the sirens went. My Father made it comfortable in the shelter. There were bunks for three of us, lighting, and a bowl fire (a copper saucer type thing with an element in the middle which glowed). If the fire went out we鈥檇 know something had been hit. When there鈥檚 been a particularly bad raid you鈥檇 go out in the morning wondering what you鈥檇 find 鈥� windows out, ceilings down.

We didn鈥檛 have enough clothing coupons so my aunt taught me how to make my own clothes. I made a blouse out of a dress of my mothers. We all had to 鈥榤ake do and mend鈥�, but my father and aunts worked in a shoe factory and would get seconds. My father was in a reserved occupation because he was making footwear for the Forces. He was in the Home Guard, and I had a Sten gun stored under my bed! My father used to get very tired because he worked during the day and then had to do air raid duties at night, so he would often sleep on a Saturday afternoon. I would get bored and sometimes went to the pictures.

Children got an extra ration of sweets and I used to save mine up until I felt I really needed one. I didn鈥檛 know at the time, but my father told me afterwards that he would sometimes help himself to my little store.

Towards the end of the war we knew that we were going to get two days holiday when it finished. At school we would discuss which day we wanted it to end according to which lessons we wanted to miss. When the war was over we all congregated in the Market Place and Gentlemen鈥檚 Walk in Norwich to celebrate.

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