大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Steven Turner a
Peoples War Story gatherer with the 大象传媒 Radio Cambridgeshire Action
Desk. It was submitted on behalf of family friend, Mrs Iris Smith and has been added to the site with her permission.
Mrs Smith fully understands the site's terms and conditions. Another story was entered for her husband, Mr Stan Smith, under the title "Nice work Smudger!".

鈥淒uring the war I lived in Nicholls Avenue, opposite the Westwood Hotel, Peterborough. I鈥檇 just started work when the war started. I鈥檇 been to secretarial school, where I met Stan my husband and when I finished I went to P.K Hill the solicitor, above Westgate Arcade. The firm was called Palmers and Paling but Mr Hill was better known. He was in the Territorial Army and he got called up to the Sherwood Foresters as a Major. A Mr Hayes took over and I didn鈥檛 settle after that so I left and went to work for the Railway Savings bank in Walpole Street, where the Salvation Army centre is now. I was secretary to the boss.

The bank backed onto the railway and we took turns to be firewatchers at the office. Two men and two women had to be on duty but there was a very kind old man who was the railway night watchman and he鈥檇 let us sleep and if there was a problem he鈥檇 wake us up. There were so many false alarms with the sirens going off. One night the line got bombed and I was actually looking out as a German bomber went over machine gunning up and down the track. I saw the tracers going by! It did a bit of damage but only dropped a couple of bombs.

Stan also did firewatching for which he got extra money. He worked for Fairbrother & Sons the coal merchants before he joined up.

Life was a bit of a struggle food wise and you had to work together. How my mother managed I don鈥檛 know. We鈥檇 get two ounces of butter or two ounces of margarine. You could have four ounces of margarine instead if you wished, but never four ounces of butter! We had coupons for clothing as well. We鈥檇 mix and match the coupons to get what we wanted.

When Stan came home I used to go back as far as London with him as I鈥檇 get free train travel working for the railway. One night I missed the last train because there was an air raid and it left the station early! It was midnight and I was stuck. The Station manager saw my ticket and that I was a railway employee so he put me in the First Class waiting room and then saw to it that I鈥檇 get on a mail train at 2.30am. It was full of RAF aircrew and he warned them to look after me because he was noting them!

I married Stan in January 1945 at St.Botolph鈥檚 Church in Longthorpe. My wedding dress was borrowed from a friend called Joyce Tee. Stan had to borrow shoes because his army boots had made his feet spread and none of his old shoes fitted him anymore.

On VE night I went out with a friend called Doreen into town. On the way home we decided we wouldn鈥檛 actually go home but we would go to my friend鈥檚 house and drink her Dad鈥檚 Port. It was lucky my mother didn鈥檛 see me like that! We decided we鈥檇 go to the RAF base (Ed:RAF Westwood) so we got on our bicycles and peddled off to the Sergeant鈥檚 Mess. We had a great night! Next day when I woke up my Dad said to me, 鈥淲here鈥檚 your bike?鈥� and I didn鈥檛 know where it was. Then I realised that we鈥檇 left them on the airfield. Luckily when Doreen and I went to get them they were still there!

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.