大象传媒

This story was submitted to the people鈥檚 war site by Alun Bowen (the volunteer) of Age Concern Ceredigion on behalf of Mary Bott (the author) and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 Terms and Conditions.

I Was born in London in 1924 and in 1939 I was living in Fulham. In August of that year I was on holiday with an aunt of mine in a small village, Bryncnig near Tywyn, Gwynedd. So I stayed there and I went to Tywyn Grammar School. So there were military camps in the area the headmaster lived. At Arychan Rees, must have thought that the place would be attacked. Anyway we dug trenches in the school playing field. We used them once as we went novices in the art of digging the trenches collapsed after a heavy downpour. We had to carry our gas masks. Woe betide anyone who forgot them. Many a day we would sing patriotic songs. One was there鈥檒l always be in England and I remember to learn poem 鈥淰itaeLampada鈥�. The recurrent theme throughout this poem was 鈥淧lay up, play up, play the game鈥�
I returned to London in July 1940 as nothing much had happened but before long the bombing began. I was sent back to Bryncnig after learning at school I went to work in the Welsh Board of Health in Cardiff. I was there when there was quite a nasty air raid. Five bombs landed at the top of the street where I lodged. Fortunately they didn鈥檛 explode, but I had to evacuate the street while they were diffused.
In 1944 I joined the Woman鈥檚 Land Army. I remember V.E. quite well, I was working on a farm in Llanarth and I was going to a dance in Aberaeron to celebrate V.E. So as I waited for a bus, a soldier whom I vaguely knew approached me. He couldn鈥檛 come to the dance by bus but asked if I would meet him later that night. I said I would look out for him. To ensure that I would do so he gave me a ten shilling note. Unluckily for me an old man (the dirty old man in the village) was nearby 鈥渉ey鈥� he said, 鈥淏eing paid before hand is it?鈥� I was annoyed that I had been given money but more annoyed at this man鈥檚 remark. The bus had arrived by this time so I couldn鈥檛 vent my anger at this man. I met up with the soldier at the dance I returned his money 鈥� I didn鈥檛 see him after that!!
So many memories but somehow I survived the air raid, the rationing and even the, time I was on the land!!

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