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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Anna Wilson of Leicestershire Library Services on behalf of Nelly Robinson and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was aged 17 when war broke out and lived in Lutterworth. My husband was a prisoner of war in Poland and had to work down the mines.

We had evacuees to stay in our home. One was from London – his brother was eventually brought over, as the bombing was so bad in London.

We didn’t have an air raid shelter in the garden but used to get under the kitchen table when the siren sounded.

Food
I remember the ration books. However, you found that when you were a family, the ration worked out so you had enough to eat. We had dried egg that was fine in cooking. I couldn’t eat it on its own though!

Fashion
It was all utility clothes and furniture.

Work
I worked at Raleigh, the munitions factory and manufactured shell cases. We worked long hours and there was not much time for socialising.

The Silent Noise
We lived opposite the testing shed for Frank Whittle’s jet engine. I remember that the noise was so loud sometimes that you couldn’t hear yourself or sleep at night. We really didn’t know what it was though until after the war. You just didn’t talk about it.

VE Day
On the 8th May 1945 my husband eventually came home. I hadn’t heard anything from him since the telegram to say he had gone missing. We celebrated VE Day around the Lutterworth monument but mostly you just did your own thing with your family.

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