大象传媒

I鈥檓 Sam Plim. I鈥檝e lived in Market Drayton all my life except for the war years. I was just 15 when the war was declared.

My mother died when I was 12 and Dad was wounded during the First World War. We lived rather frugally but we didn鈥檛 want for much. We grew our own vegetables, had our own poultry farm and the usual pig in the sty, so when rationing came in, we managed. Such things as oranges and bananas were not available. Dad remarried so the washing up etc. was done for us.

The war in this area was rather phoney at first. We had slogans telling us to 鈥淒ig For Victory鈥� and 鈥淐areless Talk Costs Lives鈥�. We had the blackout, identity cards, food and clothing rationing, rationing books. The sandbags and camouflage were evidence which was the grass-covered hangars at Ternhill and Shawbury and so-forth. RAF men and women in uniform. The bombing of our cities had started. We could hear the German bombers en-route for Liverpool and see the detonations. We had Polish and Czech pilots at Ternhill.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Becky Barugh of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of George Samuel Plim and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Sam's stories:

• 2) Our first intake of evacuees
• 3) 鈥淲hoa Bob!鈥�
• 4) As long as I was fed I could do virtually anything
• 5) After one was shot the rest surrendered鈥�
• 6) Our Final Battle
• 7) 鈥楧on鈥檛 lose your head to an Italian Brunette!鈥�

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