大象传媒

My father worked at Helmingham Hall, the Tolemache Estate. He'd been there since he'd come back from the Great War. I can remember when, mid-winter and in summer, the Estate would cull the deer and sell them. They would offer the villagers 'the pluck' - venison offal boiled by the Housekeeper in the 'Copper' - filling their 8 pint milk cans. We kept this cold, and then skimmed it off and ate the fat on top with bread. By the time the war began Lord and Lady Tolemache were no longer staying at the Hall. They only kept a housekeeper, a gardener, and my dad. He lived in the Park, and had good wages, but no overtime.

In 1940 I ended at Parson's School, Helmingham, and went up to Northgate School, Ipswich. We left on a bus at 8.30 in the morning. It didn't move very fast, and sometimes we had to help push it along.There was no choice about going there. At Northgate the boys and girls were separated, though we talked to them over the fence. Everyone looked after a plot to grow food to eat. With our often gas-powered bus sometimes we didn't get back till 7.30.

In the evenings there were searchlights in the sky from over Ipswich. I did my homework by oil lamp. We had no electricity, and drew water from the well. Dad was allowed to get rabbits - it was most of our meat. Milk came from the farm and we saved cream to make butter. We had half an acre of garden plot, so we had plenty of vegetables. We dried the peas and salted beans for the winter. There were vans that came once a week from the grocers, like the Co-op, for other items. So we weren't badly off for food.

Because of the war we recycled everything. We were meant to give up any surplus pots and pans to help the effort. The Home Guard patrolled. We could hear the sirens when there were enemy planes about. People used to go through the fields by Helmingham Church after the raids to clear them of incendiary cluster bombs.

Once I saw a young fellow filling up his motor-bike tank with illegal petrol. He was holding a candle to see. It ended up setting light to a house.

There were over 100 evacuees in the Hall and village. Lots of Land girls worked on the farms. There were Italian POWs as well. Ploughs and carts were still driven by horse.

How much the world has changed since that time......

Reproduced by Ipswich Museum with Mrs Durrant's permission.

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