Many War Time Memories

This story was submitted to the BBC People’s War site by Wymondham Learning Centre on behalf of the author who fully understand the site's terms and conditions.

I was married on 2nd September 1939, the day before war was declared.

My husband was a carpenter with Smiths Bookstalls. When he went to work after we were married, he was told “sorry, we’re not building bookstalls — there’s a war on”. He then had to register at the Labour Exchange and joined a work group, mending windows that had been damaged by the bombs. They weren’t replaced with glass, but with a type of plastic.

My husband joined the Royal Army Service Corps.

I can’t remember all the details, but I think there was a weekly ration allowance of 2oz bacon, 2oz tea and one egg. I stayed for part of the war with my mother in Camberwell, opposite St Giles Hospital. We kept chickens in our garden and we were given a special powdered chicken feed that was mixed with cooked potato peelings. This meant that we didn’t qualify for the ration of one egg per week. You couldn’t have both egg and chicken feed, but had to have one or the other.

In the garden was an Anderson shelter with bunks where we slept every night. Inside the house we had a Morrison shelter which was about the size of a double bed.

I remember one Friday morning, my brother came in saying ”don’t let Mum out, don’t let Mum out — there’s been a direct hit on the Sun Pat sweet factory”. Lots of the girls were injured and we didn’t want Mum to see them. Cars and vans were commandeered to take them to hospital.

On the day the war ended, I wrapped up my baby boy, put him in the pram and walked out into the streets with my Mum. Everyone was out and they were all cheering because the war had come to an end.

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