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I was only a teenager when the war broke out, but later I worked full time on my parents’ farm. Male help was not available so women and children helped with every chore they could. Good pieces of our old clothes were turned into something useful and new clothes were made from discarded ones. Sheets, pillowcases, table cloths, tea towels, shirts blouses and underclothing, were all made from bleached cotton flour bags. As we baked our own bread, we used a lot of these 50lb bags. When we had enough coupons for a bag of sugar, we then used these bags to make hand towels, aprons and oven cloths. How precious they were. The heavier corn (stock feed) bags had many uses too.
The few clothing and food coupons we were allowed, were used to their best advantage. Meat was bought from the butcher, which was supplemented at times with the ageing hens and cockerels as new chicks hatched. The number of foul were limited, thus limiting the number of eggs available too. We would also have the occasional rabbit.
Mother baked cakes and biscuits, and as most farms had orchards, the fruit we had was preserved in bottles and made into jams. We had plenty of milk from our dairy, but never a drop of cream as that was used for butter for the soldiers. We grew our own potatoes and pumpkins which we could store with other vegetables that were in season.
Meals would be varied and we felt well fed, even if a meal was little more that fresh bread and home-made jam. This was typical of dairy farming life in most areas. My brother and I would often be called on to help on neighbouring farms in cases of illness or when a mother was in hospital with a new baby. Some of the older women cared for their grandchildren so that the mothers could do essential war work.
Of course, it was also much safer for the children away from the cities. One grandmother I used to help, could only watch as one of her grandchildren died in an horrific accident. These are women that I feel have been sadly forgotten when womens’ efforts have been recognised and praised in recent times.
At school, we were part of The Junior Red Cross and we helped to knit jumpers for children in need, and we also raised money for other things. Women knitted socks etc. for the soldiers, taking their knitting everywhere; even to church.
One marvellous effort I clearly recall, is when the women of the village met at the town hall armed with large Caissons and strong arms and the ingredients to make hundreds of Christmas cakes for the boys in the services. Two wives of the POW’s, baked the ingredients in the bakery ovens overnight, and then it took another day to pack and sew the cakes into Calico and dispatch them. All these women gave so much time and effort and suffered so much sadness when loved ones did not return. They had hearts of gold.

Doreen E. Longworth.
Maitland. Australia.

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