大象传媒

This story has been submitted to The People's War website by Liz Andrew of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Dorothy Abbott and added to the site with her permission.

At the beginning of the War I was ill. I was twenty one and I was suffering from pleurisy and a bad chest and it was suggested that I take up an outdoor job for the sake of the fresh air. So I started driving a milk van, delivering milk for the Co-op Dairy.

I had one or two hair raising experiences while I was driving my delivery van. I remember overtaking a horse and cart once and the driver yelling "You nearly toook my horse's head off." I think I must have pulled in too quickly! And on one occasion I remember my husband was coming home on leave and I was hurrying around, trying to finish before he arrived. I went hurtling around a corner and lost seventy pints of milk. I remember I had to knock on a nearby door and and ask a lady if I could borrow a brush to clear up the mess.

On another occasion I had to deliver milk to a large house where soldiers were being billeted. It was at the bottom of a long lane. I was supposed to walk down the lane to deliver the milk but on this particular day I couldn't be bothered. I drove down the lane to the house but, when I turned round to come home, the lane was too steep -the van just didn't have the power. It ended up with me having to take all the milk off the van and approximately twenty soldiers pushing and tugging to get the van back up the lane!

Another time I had a flat tyre. I was supposed to ring the Dairy if this happened and they would come out but I was in a hurry, again, and thought "If I just drive slowly, I'll be all right." I was making my way gingerly through the centre of Blackburn when a policeman stopped me. "Do you know you have a flat tyre? " he asked. I replied, "Oh really, I didn't realize, I'll have to ring the Co-op and get it fixed, " but inside I was thinking " Oh Dear me - That's another hour before I get home!"

My husband, Cliff, was in the 17th/21st Lancers, a tank regiment. He was abroad all the time - I didn't see him for five years but I wrote every day and he wrote back very often. He was torpedoed on his way out to North Africa. Only a few survived. He had been sleeping on the deck of the SS Strathallan but the ship went down in minutes and those who were below decks never got out. He was picked up by an American Hospital ship and landed in Oran. He and his friend had nothing but the shorts they were wearing when the ship went down. It was a long time before he caught up with his unit. Later he was at Monte Cassino - but he never talked much about it - he was just glad to be home.

I was at home living with my mother on VE day - I remember the street parties. Cliff eventually got home in 1946.

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