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When the war broke out, Mrs Maunders had a young family - two girls of 10 years and 4 years old. Her husband was a signalman, which was work of national importance. He was also a keen gardener and had three gardens in which he grew a lot of home produce, supplying their neighbours as well as themselves. In summer, they went blackberry picking and bottled the fruit without sugar ( sugar, like so much else at that time, was rationed) then used the blackberries gradually. As he was a signalman, her husband had a very welcome extra ration of cheese and tea. With that, and living in the country and having farming friends, they managed quite well. Mrs Maunders remembers one day when they went blackberrying and picked 6 lbs which was very useful in the winter. Onions were very short and they used to store what they could grow. At one whist drive, the prize was one onion and everyone wanted to win it.! "Digging for Victory" was on posters everywhere.
One of Mrs Maunders keenest wartime memories was of her mother, who had cancer and was in hospital in Manchester. The radium needles in her were very valuable and so they would always take her out first when the air raids started, calling her their most valuable patient!

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