´óÏó´«Ã½

In round about 1941 we were bombed. In Church Road and Castle Road houses had doors blown off and windows came out.
No-one was killed but people had to be evacuated.
I married in 1938 and moved to Castle Road as an elderly couple were so shocked they never went back.
After that we stuck tape onto the windows so the glass wouldn’t fly everywhere.
The home guard was at the house opposite. My friend and I (both had a baby by now) would clean the house and make the beds ready for them to use the next night.
My husband worked on the railway so he didn’t have to go away.
When we had babies we had to collect orange juice and cod liver oil for all the babies.
I had three brothers in the war in Italy and Germany, but they all came back. The younger one never got any further than Devon.
I used to bake cakes and send them.
There was rationing on everything.
My mother kept a shop in Leicester. We used to go once a month to count the coupons.
We’d hear the market had got cakes and we’d go to get some.
I’d save up my rations to make cakes for my brothers.
As property went there was a row of houses built in Desford that no-one would buy. No-one would dare in case they were bombed — we would have loved to have bought one.
Clothes were rationed — it was lucky I married before the war.
Shelters were in the school area on the grass part.
There were ‘Nisson Huts’ — we had one — we used it about 10 years ago. It was a galvanised round hut and we’d have bonfires there.
I couldn’t get a pram. I looked for a second hand one. I could buy a pram when I had my second child but it was very basic and tinny.
We used to make and mend.
There were street parties at the end of the war.
On Victory Day we had red, white and blue paper on the tables. The tables were in the shape of a ‘V’ at the school.
It was terrible to hear news of friends from school being killed.

This story was submitted to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War Website by Lisa Reeves of CSV Action Desk on behalf of Maisie Toon and has been entered with her permission. The author fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.