大象传媒

FROM INSIDE THE WARDROBE
(Probably written in 1948)
by Marjorie Williamson (1902 - 1975)

"I am a historical antique", announced a short all navy jacket. "Bought just as the war broke out, I was full-length with cream front panels. Eventually they were removed and my lower part was used to make navy panels in the jacket."

"Once as master's grey trousers, I cycled so far that my seat wore out, but look at me now!" boasted the smart grey skirt with a pull at her zip.

"My life has been most thrilling", cried a striped dress, "As a bolt of material in the Manchester blitz I was singed and soaked and my middle was sold at two pence halfpenny a yard on a market stall. How wonderful to survive as a frock till 1948!"

"My career was sadly affected," remarked a candy striped frock. "I was packed, bound for New Zealand, but was stopped by war breaking out. After many adventures in SE England, I joined this wardrobe."

"I began life as three army pillow cases, but I am glad I became a tennis dress", said a fresh voice.

"I am much warmer in bed as pyjamas than as a snow suit", said another.

"We have travelled", whispered undies," We were once parachutes."

POSTSCRIPT
by Heather Fogg (nee Williamson)

Memories came flooding back when I found the unpublished handwritten piece by my mother among some family papers.

Because of clothes rationing and shortage of textiles everyone was encouraged to MAKE DO AND MEND during the war. My mother and grandmother certainly did plenty of sewing, making, mending and adapting. Fortunately we had the beloved Singer Sewing Machine with us at Market Drayton in Shropshire, where we lived as evacuees for four and a half years. A friend had kindly packed up the machine and sent it to us from our home at Ramsgate on the Kent coast.

My mother changed her coat into a jacket, made a straight skirt out of my father's old trousers and designed a panelled dress from narrow strips of material rescued from the Manchester blitz. I can still recall the smell of this wet, singed cotton that was sold on the market stalls at Market Drayton, and I remember my mother washing the long pieces and hanging them out to dry in the garden.

People often swapped clothes. The candy striped frock had belonged to my teacher aunt who had bought it in great excitement ready to go to New Zealand on a teacher exchange arrangement in 1939. The outbreak of war meant that her longed for trip was cancelled.

There was a shortage of many things for several years after the war and the rationing of clothes and textiles continued. Army surplus goods such as pillow cases,cotton snow suits and nylon parachutes were sold off cheaply at the close of the war and were eagerly sought after by people who were good at sewing,like my mother.

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