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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by volunteer from the ��ѿ��ý Radio Cambridgeshire Story Gatherer Team on behalf of Mrs. George and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs. George fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I was 10 when war broke out. I lived in a pub, The Miner’s Arms in Hurst Hill, Sedgley, with my parents and brothers and sister. At the pub we had a bowling green, this was dug up to grow veg for dig for victory. The turf was stacked up in a pile and mushroom seeds were scattered all over it and we had lots of mushrooms. My Mom and Dad kept pigs and hens at the pub. The pigs were fed on scraps and peelings and were killed for meat.

On the pub my Dad had painted “Tranter’s beer will keep you fit and also help you do your bit”. They had concerts in the pub, with singers, to raise money for the young men in the army. So when the men came home they were given 10 shillings from the comfort fund.

When the sirens used to go, the local people used to come and stop in our cellar until the all clear went. You couldn’t drink the beer, nor light a cigarette, whilst in the cellar. There were ARP wardens who would check that the blackouts were enforced and when the sirens ended they’d call from the top of the cellar to let us know.

It was a hard life in the pub in the war.

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