ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

We lived in Dunley in a tiny house, all 9 of us, 7 kids and my parents. There were 4 kids to a bed, 2 at the top and 2 at the bottom!

Although I was very small I remember the search lights over Heightington. They dug a hole at Dunley for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Guard to use for their practice and guard duty. There was an American hospital at Burlish and the soldiers used to be transported through Dunley to Shobden Airfield to be flown back to America when they were well enough to make the journey. They used to throw chewing gum out of the lorries as they went past.

My Father worked at Oakhampton Estate where there was 40 women working on the farm as well as all the Land Girls. There were only 20 men so they were happy! My dad was allowed a ration from the farm once a month as well as his normal rations. If I remember right there was lard, tins of fruit, sugar and stuff like that. I used to fetch the skimmed milk from the farm (this is the waste that what was left when they had taken what they wanted) we had this in our tea. It’s sold as low fat milk now but back then they used to give it to the pigs, but it was just as tasty as full cream milk! Our milk man, Mr Mole came everyday from Heightington and that’s where the rest of our milk came from. Then we had our bit of grocery from the village shop. My mom used to work on the farm as well as look after us 7 kids

I used to have to walk from Dunley to Astley School, about two miles. At 12 we were given a blue card for 14 working days off school to help out on the farm. The headmaster, Mr Bishop used to have the cards off the boys who didn’t work on farms and give them to us.

Miss Tomkinson (Tomkinson Carpets) paid for every child in the school to be given rich Jersey cow milk every day. She also gave the school some ground.

I was confirmed in Arley Kings Church when I was about 12 or 13 and I remember I had to wear my hob nail boots because that’s all I had to wear!

Mr Baldwin used to live in Astley Hall and he used to put on a huge bonfire each year for us, even through the war! He would take all the children of Astley and Dunley into the big hall and give us all cake and drink.

This story was submitted to the People’s war site by Jacci Phillips of the CSV Action Desk at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Hereford and Worcester on behalf of John Herbert and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.