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Interview
With: Margaret Amy Owen

Did you have an evacuee to stay with you during the war?
‘Yes, I wasn’t very old then. It was a young girl from London. She lived with us for about a year or so. She went back to London to live, because it was too quiet here.’
What was rationed, and how did it affect you?
‘Sweets, sugar, butter, meat and clothes were all rationed, even fruit! We never saw a banana! Clothes were rationed, but it didn’t really cause problems, because we had enough to live with’
What did you have to do differently in your daily routine during the war?
‘When I was 17, I had to start work, either in the forces or in the munitions factory. By that time, two of my sisters had already left home and were in the forces. Before I had to go out to work, like my sisters, I stayed at home with my mother. So, I worked in the nearest munitions factory in Market Harborough.’
What hours did you work in the munitions factory for?
‘We worked for about 12 hours every day for a week, then 12 hours at night for a week alternately. There was the day shift and night shift. We came back from work at Saturday lunch time, then went back on Sunday night. We didn’t earn much for it!’
What did your sisters do during the war?
‘Grace, one of my sisters was at home, and Ive was in the army, and Win was in the air force.’
What happened to your job when the war ended?
‘The factory was put over to making other things, so I got to stay in the factory.’
Did you have an air raid shelter nearby? Did you need to use one this far from any major cities?
‘No, we didn’t have one near to the house, because there were no air raids in this area. They dropped a bomb or two around here, in the village, but I don’t think that they were aiming at us; they were probably just getting rid of their load before retuning home. You could see Coventry being bombed from here, but there wasn’t that much action around here. However, we did have blackouts around here. You had a job to see anywhere or go anywhere, and we all had to have blackout curtains. The air raid warden would come round and check for any light. She would knock on the door if she could see anything!’

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