大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer on behalf of Malcolm Smith and has been added to the site with his permission. Malcolm Smith fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

In 1943, fruit especially oranges and bananas were in very short supply. I remember when the great day came when the local green grocer had oranges. You were only able to get one of these if you had a blue rashion book. I'd never seen an orange before and I remember it tasting so sweet.

At the time the green grocer also had a bunch of plastic bananas hanging in his shop. There were often photos in the paper of soldiers bringing bananas back for the sick as many children at the time had vitamin deficiencies.

I will never forget the day my father came home and produced a banana in 1946. It looked nothing like the plastic bunch in the shop as it was black and yellow and rather mushy. I bit into it expecting it to be juicy like an orange. I was aged 6 at the time and I remember turning to my mother and saying "I don't like it mummy". She gave me a slap on the wrist and said "you ungrateful child".

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