- Contributed by听
- lowestoftlibrary
- People in story:听
- Evelyn Rowlands
- Background to story:听
- Civilian Force
- Article ID:听
- A3197496
- Contributed on:听
- 29 October 2004
I was over 21 when the war started, and my husband was in the forces. I lived in the Stoke area, and worked in the munitions factory at Swynnerton. Luckily I got a job in the canteen. The workers used to come in with yellow faces from handling all the explosives.
We worked three shifts, and earned two pounds a week. You were searched on the way into work every day to make sure you weren鈥檛 taking matches or cigarettes into the factory. I remember one time I had a match in my pocket. I had to take it back to the main hut and leave it there. I could have been suspended for it though. It was quite strict there. You couldn鈥檛 have any time off without a Doctor鈥檚 note. We used to wear green overalls. I wanted to take mine home to wash and left it on under my coat, but I got caught and searched.
My husband was in the 8th Army. He went away in 1942, and I didn鈥檛 see him again until after the war in 1945. We wrote a lot of letters, but they were censored.
My brother was an instructor in the RAF, but was killed in an accident when he was
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