大象传媒

This story was sublitted to the the People's War site by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries on behalf of Ellen Stockham and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Ellen Stockham writes,
I had two sisters and three brothers. Two brothers were in the RAF and one in the army. All three girls were at home but doing war work at the Michelin.
I was actually on tyre making. It was HEAVY work. One night a bomb dropped on Campbell Road. Mr Whitty was our foreman and he asked us all if we wanted to go to the shelter. I said no - I hated the shelter. Doodlebugs were the most scary - that awful droning noise, then the silence before the explosion. When we came off nights, it would still be dark. We had luminous buttons on our coats. At the Oakhill Gate you had to go down steps and Fred the lodgeman painted a stripe so we could see them. We were always told to cover our hair. One girl refused to do this and got her hair caught in the machinery. She was scalped - it was horrible! After that I had my hair cut off, really short. Dad went mad at first but afterwards said I was sensible.
My sister Rose was in PA at the Michelin. They worked with French chalk which got everywhere. She hated it.
I was in the Land Army too. At weekends we'd go all over the place, Sussex, Reading, and then near to, Stafford, Weston Coyney. We'd be picked up in a lorry.
When the Americans came there lots out at Trentham Gardens. There are still some bits of buildings standing from the camp in Trentham Park. My cousin Jack came over with the Canadians and stayed with us for three months. There were lots of parties!
When the house in Hartshill was bombed it was terrible. Apart from the Michelin, Stoke wasn't really a target. What we did get was lots of stray, left over bombs dropped as they went back home.
Mum had six ration books. She always made bread pudding. We had lots of stew with vegetables from the garden. Mum always had a huge pot of lobby (stew with everything 'lobbed' in). We'd have a big basin full and a chunk of bread while she carried on washing. I loved the smell in our house on washday.
We always had good neighbours. Lots of borrowing and paying in cake. I got married in 1949 and even then someone donated flour, someone else gave eggs or fruit and that was how we made my wedding cake! My husband wore his demob suit for the wedding. For my wedding dress I collected clothing coupons from everyone. It was a beautiful blue suit. My sister-in-law Vera made it. Shoes were a bug-bear. We'd been so used to boots and wellies that dress shoes felt peculiar.
The community spirit was tremendous. Everyone worked together. Its not the same today - there seem to be no manners or discipline.

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