大象传媒

On Sunday mornings I had the unpaid job of pumping the bellows for the Church Organ. I had to sit in a small room at the back of the Organ. Facing me was a wooden wall through which was a large wooden handle which could be pulled up and down, attached to the other end of the handle was the Bellows I suppose, because by pumping the handle up and down air was supplied to the Organ. To the one side of the handle was a small hole through which a piece of twine appeared. On the end of the twine was a small brass weight, and the weight went up and down according to how full the bellows were. There was two markers on the wall, and my job was to keep the weight somewhere between the top and bottom marker. I would have a rest as the weight gradually dropped lower and lower towards the bottom marker, and then pump like mad to get the weight up somewhere close to the top marker. After lunch on Sundays I used to go with the two grown up daughters of the owner of the big house, to the local Doctors, where they were taking a First Aid course. We went by car (Chauffeur driven of course) and I used to be a pretend casualty who they could bandage up with splints, for a broken leg, or have my arm put in a sling for a fractured arm or something. I think this was their War effort, but I doubt very much if the experience was ever used for real, because life was very peaceful in Whitbourne, although of course they did have their own Home Guard to deal with any German invasion if it ever came.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of John Harding and has been added to the site with his permission. John Harding fully understands the sites terms and conditions

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