大象传媒

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Mabels'story:

My husband was one of 6 brothers, 5 of them were called up but he was left to run the family farm, it was a big job. He was in the Home Guard as well. We had no land girls, but three Italian prisoners of war came every day with a supervisor. Once they were trusted they came alone to live in the cottage. They had special rations, such as spaghetti, which we bought and cooked for them. They were kind and good people. Other additions to the household were two sisters, who were evacuated to our farm. My mother was very maternal towards them, and a mutual fondness developed. They continued to keep in touch and as the girls were quite poor my mother occasionally sent them some pocket money. Other relations (aunts and cousins) descended on our farm, especially during the Blitz, due to its relative safety and good supply of provisions. I remained on the farm for the duration of the war; because it was so full of people and there was no electricity -just paraffin lamps- life was not easy, although my husband brightened every day by cycling ten miles each way to come and see us. The celebrations on VE Day were muted as I had two brothers and two brothers-in-law who were POW in Japan, and until they returned our war was not over. They all lived, but due to what they had seen and the suffering they had undergone they were never the same again, although they lived for another sixty years.

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