大象传媒

12) THE SUMMARY OF SALLY鈥橲 STORY 鈥� tracks her family鈥檚 everyday lives after war comes to London in 1939. Too young to fight in the First World War and then too old to fight in the Second, her Father found himself working in a reserved occupation, managing a mill - involved in the armament industry - in the hamlet of Temple, near Marlow, Buckinghamshire. He also joined the 鈥淗ome Guard鈥�. Soon the relative tranquillity of her parent鈥檚 lives was abruptly interrupted when after 15 years of marriage, Sally was unexpectedly born! Later in the war during that fateful, Summer of 1944, she records the day when they saw a stream of aeroplanes towing groups of gliders overhead in preparation for the Normandy Invasion. And on their post-war return to London, how their food rations were unusually supplemented by Joe, en ex-sailor and peacetime fisherman, who in gratitude for her Mother鈥檚 wartime knitting - sent them bags of fresh fish - through the post!...

SALLY鈥橲 STORY 鈥� At the beginning of the war my parents were living in a flat in Earlsfield, South West London, before moving to a bungalow in Purley Surrey. My Father then worked for a packaging company in Summerstown near Tooting. But because there was a risk that the factory could be bombed 鈥� as some of the production was intended for the armament industry - it was decided to move this work down to a small, old paper mill at Temple near Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
By this time, my Father - who had been too young to fight in the First World War, was then too old to fight in the Second 鈥� found himself working in a reserved occupation as manager of this ancient mill in the sleepy hamlet of Temple. Situated in the Saxon Parish of Bisham on the opposite side of the river to Marlow, the area is steeped in history. Mentioned in the Doomsday Book as Bustleham, it was at one time the home of the 鈥淜nights Templars鈥� who allegedly founded the mill several centuries ago.
Considering that it was wartime, my parents soon made a comfortable niche for themselves and lived contentedly in picturesque 鈥淲eir Cottage鈥� which stood beside the mill.
My Father also joined the 鈥淗ome Guard鈥� which was seemingly a more sedate branch than the one at Warmington-on-Sea as featured in 鈥淒ad鈥檚 Army鈥�!
Their main task was to keep watch on coasts, roads, rivers, railways, public buildings and so on. But I believe the only significant activity that occurred in the vicinity were some stray bombs that were jettisoned by enemy aircraft, when attacked by British planes in September 1940. Fortunately there was hardly any damage, except for a few broken windows in 鈥淎ll Saints Church鈥� Bisham.

Used as my Mother was to life in London it appeared that the change of scene suited her very well. For I understand that having experienced some previous health problems she had by that time, given up any hopes of ever having a family. So no doubt, it must have come, as something of a shock to learn that after fifteen years of marriage, and in the middle of the war, she was finally to become a Mother!
I was very fortunate that instead of entering the world in war-torn London, I was born instead in a nursing home in Maidenhead and spent my early years in relative tranquillity by the River Thames. And it was there, in nearby Bisham in 鈥淎ll Saints Church鈥� where I was later christened 鈥� Sally.
My Mother used to say, 鈥淗ow lucky she felt that her baby could be left outside in the cottage garden in such a peaceful place鈥�. Apparently I had other ideas. It seemed that when my parents could no longer bear to listen to my cries, I liked nothing better than to be taken into the mill offices. There, surrounded by clattering machines and friendly faces my cries soon turned to smiles instead!
During our time at Temple, I was regularly wheeled in my pram besides the banks of the Thames and it was here on that fateful Summer鈥檚 day in 1944, that my parents watched a stream of aeroplanes towing groups of gliders overhead. Although they could not be certain at the time, it was generally believed that this was the beginning of the biggest operation of the war 鈥� the invasion of Normandy 鈥� an operation in reverse. And one which was so very different from that other fateful Summer鈥檚 day four years previously, when my parents had watched the flotilla of little boats going down to the sea, to help with the withdrawal of troops from France. It was an impressive sight.
Although of course they knew nothing then, that this great armada would lead to the disaster of Dunkirk.

Since my unexpected arrival curtailed my Mother鈥檚 plans to go out to work as part of the war effort, she decided that she must do something useful. So she took up knitting for Service Personnel 鈥� not a pastime she particularly enjoyed but one that she could easily do at home.
In one of her parcels of warm socks and mufflers she decided to enclose her name and address. Joe, a sailor in the Royal Navy on H.M.S 鈥淣orthern Pride鈥� replied 鈥� thanking her and they kept in touch until the time of his death many years later.
In peacetime Joe was an East Anglian fisherman from Lowestoft, Suffolk. And I remember the very welcome bags of fish that he used to send us in gratitude, during those long years of post-war rationing.
Just imagine sending a Hessian bag of fish through the post today!

My first memory of anything connected to the war was just afterwards, when we had moved from Buckinghamshire to Petts Wood in Kent and the children next door to us, locked me in their air raid shelter. I was terrified! I wondered what it must have been like to be incarcerated in there night after night.
After a couple of years of living in Kent, we moved again to a spacious, family house near Wandsworth Common. Looking back, I now realise how lucky I was to arrive there at just that time. For it was then, that I was sent as a pupil to 鈥淯pper Tooting High鈥� and I have many fond memories of my schooldays. Here, firm friendships were made, which happily still endure. And long may they remain so!

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