ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Born 1940. Remember rationing until 1950 and having first sweet in 1947 when I went to Ireland.

My mother worked at Commer Cars, Biscot Road in Luton and I spent my days at St George’s Church School in Toddington and the lady caretaker let me sit by the fire on cold days.

Women’s branch of British Legion would look after the young children upstairs in the Town Hall in Toddington during the day when women were at work.
Father was a motorcyclist/despatch rider in war and died in road accident in April 1944. Mother remarried a man who had saved her from injury when bomb fell at Commer Cars. He had grabbed her and ran with her to shelter.

Sent to live in Ireland several times as my mother unable to cope and I did not have good education as a young child. When in Ireland I lived in sparse cottage.

Had pneumonia as a child and was sent to children’s home opposite Harkness Roses in Hitchin to recover. Didn’t see much of my mother as getting to the home was difficult and also expensive as she had no transport.

Several evacuees came to Toddington and some stayed and have bought up their families and still live in the village.

Wore shoes/boots with studs in and you had to repair and not buy new. Same with clothes which were passed down and patched up.

Uncle was a veteran of Dunkirk, Africa and Italy and lived with us in Toddington and would travel each year to Dunkirk. Well respected man.

Aircraft crashed in Shelton Avenue where I lived on outskirts of Toddington.

Lots of Polish people came to village as refugees and they worked on farms in the area.

There was POW camp at Milton Bryan.

A Town Cryer and would go round village with bell to tell people what was happening in war and also people killed or injured in battles who belonged to area.

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