The great potato discovery

On my first day in the Land Army, we were billeted at a rectory, and I was asked to go and fetch some potatoes from the garden. I was given a fork. The only fork I knew was the one we ate with; this one was a monster!

Anyway, I wandered up and down looking for potatoes, but there was not one in sight. Then the warden came to me and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you which ones to get.” She took the fork, and said, “This row”, and duly dug a few potatoes up. I was very surprised and delighted too, and I knew then that I would have my own garden one day. I valued her tact and diplomacy, as she saved me from the embarrassment of admitting that I didn’t know where potatoes grew! I thanked her and asked her how many I should dig up. “Enough for 30 hungry girls!” she said.

When I got home I said, “Mum, Dad, why didn’t you tell me that potatoes grew underground? We always got ours round the corner at Johnny Blackwell’s shop.” They certainly had a good laugh!

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