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Edited Transcript of Margaret Le Cras interviewing Mrs Evelyn Bryce

Evelyn Bryce. One day somebody came and asked me if I wanted to go and work for someone, I’ve been wondering since, since I’ve been thinking about this, I’ve been wondering how they got hold of me, because I didn’t know these people, and it was to work in a house by Saumarez Park, it was a farm, just opposite Saumarez Park, and the man, the farmer, was killed by his bull, the bull tossed him, and they asked me if I wanted to go and work there on the farm, so I went there, and I used to have my meals there, so I was never hungry, they were well off, and had a store of food, which the likes of us couldn’t, and er …
I………. And of course people would have bottled, eh, you know, like in 1940 and 41 people, like, the apples were on the trees and that, would have bottled things, eh?
Evelyn Bryce. We had an apple tree, and it was always really well loaded, so we always had, that’s the only fruit we had, during the war, but when I went to this other place, Mrs Le Tissier it was, we had raspberries, strawberries, figs, they had a fig tree, people used to come with their orders, and she’d sell all that, so I helped her to pick that, and I got some of that, and I was allowed to have half a pint of full-cream milk because I helped on the farm, but I usually had a bottle full, a pint and a half, And my father was growing as well.
I………. I think it’s a case of, people in the countryside ate off the countryside, and they knew how to grow, eh, whereas people in town would have had a much harder time of it, and they wouldn’t have known what to do. People, as you know, kept rabbits, every other person kept rabbits,
Evelyn Bryce. We kept rabbits before the war, we also had some during the war, and all that after we moved house, because we moved house after my sister got married, and one night I thought I was dreaming, I heard this terrible noise, howling, and I woke up, and it was still going on, and I called out , who’s that, and it was some heavy booted people, I didn’t see who it was, the rabbits had gone.
I………. I’m afraid there was a lot of stealing
Evelyn Bryce. I was telling Ralph just now, when the potatoes had been planted, people would go and dig them up, He said was it the Germans, I said I don’t know, you couldn’t see who it was, people were expecting potatoes to grow, but there was nothing there.
I………. yes there was a lot, but a lot of them, they were hungry, and they were doing the best they could at the time. Yes it was stealing, but there again…
Evelyn Bryce. And the cats all disappeared.
I………. Yes, I’m afraid they did, but that was right at the end, and without a doubt the Red Cross saved the island, eh?
Evelyn Bryce. Ah yes, because we were three weeks without bread.

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