大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥� War by a volunteer from The Chepstow Society on behalf of鈥︹�︹�︹�︹�︹�︹��..and has been added to the site with鈥︹�ermission鈥︹�︹�︹�︹��.fully understands the site.s terms and conditions

Helen Mayo

Home Life.
Helen was living at home with her parents when war was declared and was a pupil at Lydney Grammar School. She had hoped to go to Durham University, but her father who was the owner / director of Chepstow and Lydney Trading Company had plans for Helen to join the family firm. She remembers hearing the announcement that 鈥渨e are now at war with Germany鈥� on the radio. Helen has a very poignant memory soon after hearing the news, of finding her father sitting in the dining room with his head in his hands fearing the worst, especially for his son Jack who was in the regular airforce.
The family had a big garden and grew many of their own vegetables and fruit, they also had chickens and pigs, and Helen can remember sides of ham hanging in the kitchen. Spare eggs were taken to a grading centre in Chepstow where the family received coupons to collect chicken feed. The lack of bananas was keenly felt despite promises from Miss Scarrot to let the family know 鈥渨hen my allegation comes in.鈥� A sort of barter system existed between local traders, friends and neighbours for items in short supply. Her mother , who developed into a good inventive cook during the war was disgusted with the 2 oz. ration of cheese- - 鈥� only enough for a mouse trap鈥�. The best efforts were made to have some sort of celebration for Christmas, but early birthdays tended to very low key affairs.
Her father had bought an old ex - police Vauxhaul car that saw him right through the war. Helen learnt to drive in her brother鈥檚 car, there was no licence needed in those days. As the house had shutters at the front, it was only the back of the house that needed black out.

Work Life.
Helen left school in March 1940, and having been thwarted from going to University and taking up posts in occupations of her choice, she eventually started work in the Lydney branch of the family firm. Her parents offered her free accommodation and she had ten shillings a week pay for her work with the firm. Many of the company鈥檚 employees had been called up and although Helen was supposed to be in charge of the clerical and accounting side of the business, she often had to help with the more manual tasks involved with running the building company.

War defences.
Her brother Bill, who had not been called up as he was grade 5 medically, was involved with the local A.R.P. One night when they were guarding the bridge over the Wye he felt a gun being pushed between his ribs, his colleague fetched the Police from Tutshill only to discover that it was a local man fooling around - - he was fined 7/6 for holding firearms without a licence. At another time, because Bill did not know how to remove unfired bullets, he fired them into the rose garden. A colleague had a lucky escape when he was stung by a wasp and dropped the box of hand grenades he was carrying - - luckily they did not go off.
The family had a cellar in the house which could be used in the event of an air raid, however, they rarely bothered to use it, instead going outside to watch the bombs being dropped over Bristol.

War events.
The Ministry of Food used a building at the bottom of their garden to store sugar and there was a Food office in Welsh Street.
Helen was the secretary of the local National Savings branch and a neighbour, Guy Bound was the chairman. They used to drive around putting up posters and selling badges. Can remember the Severn Tunnel band playing on the lawn at Christmas time to collect money for the war effort.
They had cousins from London staying with them for a while, but never had any evacuees.

Town / social life.
Despite working very hard there was time for enjoyment as well. Despite many of the local boys being called up, they were soon replaced by various regiments stationed at The Mount and the race course. Helen would go to dances at Lydney Town Hall and come home on the milk train. There was a long room behind what is now the Castle Hotel, then a general store, in which dances were held to the music of Ken Jones,鈥滳hips鈥� Davies and Harry Bennett. Groups of them would often walk out to the Carpenter鈥檚 Arms in Shirenewton. Helen can remember walking with one particular soldier friend to Tintern, over the railway bridge and on to Bream, where they had a boiled egg and a cup of tea at a house; they had looked for a cafe, however, there wasn鈥檛 one in the village and a local householder offered them refreshment as the soldier was in uniform. They continued walking to Lydney where a meal was taken a The Feathers and Helen tasted her first liquor - - Cointreau, before they caught the bus home.
Generally, had a whale of a time.
Travel and communication.
Most people had bikes and riding was very popular to supplement the buses and trains.
In 1943, Helen joined the W.R.N.S. and when she was stationed near Yeovilton often used a combination of bicycle and train to get home for a couple of hours. She and a friend would cycle to Bridgewater, catch a train to Temple Meads, Bristol; cycle to the ferry at Aust, cross to Beachley and cycle home. There would be just enough time to have a meal, fill up the saddle bags with goodies and then begin the return journey. This would be a cycle ride to Severn Tunnel junction and catch the train to Rimpton, where she was in 鈥� dispersed quarters鈥�, a large house taken over to house personnel from R.N.A.S. Yeovilton.

Special events.
Queen Mary came to Chepstow with Desmond Lysaght and visited the castle. As she was walking back towards the road her father was lucky enough to have the chance to take a photograph of the occasion.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.