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We didn’t have many clothes during and after the war years, we had clothing coupons and they didn’t seem to go very far. Our family was much the same as anyone else’s we had a set of school clothes, a set of best clothes and a set of play clothes and we really had to take care of them. We looked forward to Easter that was when we got new best clothes.

Our main shop was in Peterborough and called Armstrong’s we used to consider the annual visit quite something, first of all came the bus ride and then this great big shop full of all sorts of clothes on rails. We usually ended up with three pairs of knickers, three vests some times a couple of liberty bodices, a dress and a lightweight coat. Mum would get wool knit our cardies and socks and oh yes we would get a pair of brown buckle up sandals.
When mum paid, the lady would put the bill and money into a little box and press a button it would then wiz away to the cashier who would send the changes back the same way it was magic.

That would have taken about three months coupons and the procedure would for the next seasons clothes when more coupons had been saved.

I can also remember mum pulling down old jumpers and knitting us slipper with the wound up wool.

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