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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Roger Marsh of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Mr. Hampson and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Gravy Browning on Legs

By
Mr. M Hampson

My two sisters used to buy leg paint at a local chemists, then they used an eyebrow pencil to draw a seam, they had to wash their legs before they went to bed because if they didn’t, it came off on the sheets. The chemist's was called Goodall’s; it was pulled down a long time ago.
During rationing the local women, some who had large families, used to exchange surplus items, so none went too short.

My mother, like a lot of women, had a shop bill which was paid at the end of the week. One week, on my mother's bill there were a few single items, e.g. one ounce of butter. She asked who bought these items, it turned out it was the son of the local vicar who'd come home from boarding school and brought his ration books with him and the items where put on my mother's bill. From then on she paid on the spot.

My mother threw nothing away; if an item of clothing got worse for, it was pulled to bits and remade into some thing else, the bits that were left, were cut into strips and made into a rug. We had an upright frame, my mother used to get sacks from the local shops and used them as backing. We had a new rug every Christmas; the old one got passed onto one of the local families, who in turn passed their rug on to someone else. The rugs must have, after a few years got very dirty.

I remember once we, as school children, got a food parcel from Canada, but I have forgotten what was in it.

My brother once brought a small uniform home. My mother remade it to fit me when the local soldiers went past. They used to salute me. Across the road from where I lived, was a cobbler's who was said to be a German, but he was never interned. My mother told me not to tell him where my brother was stationed as he was a spy, I could not have told, as I didn’t know, I think he was somewhere in Lincolnshire.

He once came home on a motorbike; he was only supposed to come to Leeds but as it is not very far he came home. The motorbike would not start, so he brought into the house to mend , he once brought a parachute home. This was made into knickers and underskirts for my two sisters.

My brother never saw active service; he was in three different regiments: The Royal Engineers, The Royal Artillery and finally The Durham Light Infantry. Why he got transferred I never knew.

My brother and eldest sister both got married on the same day, it was found that it would be cheaper.

At my school, the girls were taught to knit. They made matinee coats. My sister had a baby and I was given money to buy the coats if the girl who had made them did not want them.
At the wedding I was sent to bed a bit worse for wear. Under my chair was a crate of beer, so I had some bottles, how many I don’t know.

Pr-BR

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