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Mary Thompson
This story is taken from an interview with Mary Thompson, and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview was by Deirdre Donnelly, and transcribed by Bruce Logan.
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Well, I don’t remember vividly. But I do remember being rationed with sweets.
[I would have been aged] About 9 or 10. And I remember we had to get a coupon to go for sweets. We had to get coupons to get clothes. But I do remember my mother used to bake a lot. And we used to go across the border to get butter so she could bake cakes with dry eggs. Yes, but my mother was a good baker and those cakes were … fruit, we didn’t have a lot of fruit. We were lucky if we had any. We used to go over the border and get stuff, I used to cycle over the border. We used to get cooked ham, butter …
But I do remember the Glenn Miller music. I thought it was fantastic music, the Glen Miller music.
And I do remember sometimes my mother made cakes and sandwiches for functions. And I remember we used to have to help her.
And I remember distinctly making banana sandwiches out of … parsnips with banana essence! You boiled the parsnips, mashed them, put in the banana essence, and you’re as near to a banana sandwich as you could get. And that’s what we used to … I remember that’s the one thing that stands out in my mind, making those banana sandwiches for the different functions.

Derry was a very busy place during the war, with all the … there was lots of Americans, there was lots of Canadians, and … Actually, I got friendly with a Canadian near the end of the war. But that was just friendship. He was … SS St John was the boat. I can’t even remember it. Bright-up. No, I can’t remember his name now. My memopry is blocked.

That’s the one thing that stands out in my mind is making banana sandwiches. And we thought those were banana sandwiches. They did taste of bananas, because you put in a good jab of the essence. Into the mashed parsnip. Try it til you see!

My mother used to be involved in quite a lot. And she would …

We used to go to Carlisle Rd Methodist Hall, to wash the dishes after they fed troops in there. And I remember being one of the party to help wash dishes.
There was New Zealanders, there was Canadians, there was all sorts of troops in that, we entertained. It was like a canteen, what they called a canteen. And the younger ones were only for washing dishes and that. And the other ones went and served the troops. It was a busy, busy time.
And they used to have little sing-songs, too. It was mostly little … well, they would have “Tipperary” and those sorts of songs, sometimes. But it was mostly hymns — hymn-singing. On a Sunday night I remember the hymn-singing, and I remember the boys all coming for sandwiches and tea and whatever was available. And some people could get up some sorts of buns and things. But there was a terrible shortage of sugar and butter and bacon and those sort of things. There was a big shortage. You only got a small ration of that. I do remember. But when we got our sweets we were delighted. But we had to get these coupons to get sweets, I remember.

I do vaguely remember the bombing in Messines Park, but I live in Bellview Avenue. That’s quite a distance from Messines Park. So that, just we heard there was bombing, and houses were bombed. But I didn’t take any [notice], it didn’t sink in. I was at school, I started to work about 41. 1941.
I worked in a drycleaners. But there was lots of fun. We had street-parties and all, at times.
I do remember the street-party when the war was over. That was something. Everybody was out at the tables. And my mother used to scramble dried eggs, but it wasn’t the same as scrambled eggs. But it was food!

[our local grocer was] Harry Grant, Bishop Street. He was great, because if he had a wee spare bit, you got it. My mother, there was 10 of us and my mother was a good customer.
I can smell it. The bacon used to hang. It had a distinctive smell, the shop. It had a counter, the tea was put into bags — you’d weigh it and put it into bags. The sugar was weighed and put into bags. It wasn’t anything like it is today. But I’ll tell you, it was great fun going into a shop like that because everybody stayed for a chat,. And there was lots of chatter going on in those shops. And good fun.

I think it was at Church I met the Canadian. In Strand Presbyterian church, that’s where it was.

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