蜜芽传媒

Q - Queen of Holland?

My friend and I were collecting rose petals to put in a jam jar and make some scent. We went up to the end of our street to the corner house on Mimms hill. The front garden had some rose bushes within reach of the path. So we were looking to see which ones to take, when a strict nurse came out and told us off.

Then an old lady came to the door and asked us what we were doing. We said we were looking for ladybirds and showed her one - that happened to be there. She asked me my name and age as I looked like her granddaughter Beatrix. Then the nurse told her to go back in and told us to go away.

I told my Mum and she said that I must not tell anybody, as the old lady was hiding from Hitler. I asked why Hitler would want to find her. She said because she is the Queen of Holland鈥檚 Mother! We went back for the rose petals later.

R - Reading to POWs

A straggly line of bushes separated the sports field from the recreation ground. It was called the 鈥榳reck鈥�,I thought, because the swings were broken?
Some Italian men, from the war, were having their lunch break sitting in the shade. They had old school reading books to learn English. They were very easy books but they still couldn鈥檛 read them. So my friend and I helped them to say the words properly.
Then a cross lady came by and told us off for sitting with the men. I said we were only helping them to read but she said we had to go home at once. The men got up and went away, which was sad.

S - Sweets

We had sweet coupons, that we had to save, to get anything nice. My mother gave me the coupons and enough money to get some鈥� boiled鈥� sweets. I hurried to the shop but had forgotten what they were called. So I asked for 鈥榟ot鈥� sweets, associating 鈥榟ot鈥� with 鈥榖oiling鈥� in my mind.
I returned with a big bag of strong peppermints much to their dismay. They were loose from the jar and could not be taken back. My father was content, as he was the only one who liked them. It was a long time before the rest of us saw any sweets again.

T - Toys

Some children did not have toys. So my Mum said. I was very lucky to have home-made ones. Mum used to get vegetable baskets with a handle over, to make dolls carry cots from. She would make a frill from old torn net curtains, to put round it and a little sheet and pillow inside. Also a cradle top from the handle fixed to one end. If she had any bits of coloured stuff to make bows, she put them on to. She made them for all my friends, as Father Christmas did not have many toys as there was a war on. I had to keep it secret until Christmas Day. Some Mums made dolls out of wooden clothes pegs to put inside.
When Dad had time to work in his shed, he used to make wooden toys for boys.
They were nice little lorries usually, or a monkey swinging on a stick. I had to keep that secret too, so that the neighbours鈥� boys had toys for presents.
I had a lovely wooden sewing box with a little brass catch. It had a lift out tray inside that was lined with red velvet. Inside, the lid was padded with the velvet to make a pin cushion. It had a darning needle and wool and things for sewing. It was beautiful. I was very lucky to have such a grown-up toy.

U - Unclean

We used to have a bath and change our socks and clothes once a week. Our hair was washed then too. So on a Monday we were nice and clean. By Friday we smelt a bit. The teacher had her favourites, as the girls who had clean knickers on nearly EVERY DAY!

V - Vaseline

I saw the tin of Vaseline in the bathroom. Dad would use it on his hair, as he combed it straight backwards from his face and had to stick it down. We used it for any cuts and grazes too. I would stick my finger in it and eat it like jelly.
Mum saw me do it once and gave me a cuddle. She said I wasn鈥檛 bad to eat it. She said my body must need it but not to tell anyone as they would not understand. One day we would have nice things to eat. Then she went and had a quiet cry.

W - Woodworking

Dad loved to work with wood. His father was a Master Carpenter and had taught him as a boy. So when he was home from making aeroplanes at the factory, he would go up to his shed. He had a light and electric fire in there and a high stool for me to sit on. We would listen to the songs on the wireless too. He would whistle to them sometimes. All our neighbours would find wood for him to make them things. He made me a dresser with hooks for my little tea set. I would talk all the time. He called me his 鈥榗hatter-box鈥� Mum would bring us a cup of tea. I liked to play with the curly wood shavings. We forgot about the war.

X - Kisses

We put brown sticky paper kisses on all the windows. Even in the shed. Dark curtains or blankets to pull over at night. They looked horrible. I said that I didn鈥檛 like them and thought they were silly. I was told that there was a war on. There was always a war on! Then Mum said that it stops us from getting cut on broken glass in an air-raid. I didn鈥檛 know that Hitler鈥檚 bombs had glass in them.

Y - Yuk, yuk, yuk!!!

Once I smelt a terrible smell coming from the kitchen. Mum was cooking something awful in a saucepan. She called me to come and get my dinner. Instead, I crept quietly up the stairs to peep through the banister down into the kitchen. I saw my brother sitting at the table with a sulky face. Mum put a bouncy lump of white stuff on his plate and told him to eat it. He didn鈥檛 move.
She called me again. I didn鈥檛 move. He was told to eat it again.
My brother saw me on the stairs, and pointed 鈥淲hat about her?鈥� I ran to the top and hid under my bed. Mum came up to look for me, but couldn鈥檛 reach to pull me out. I heard my brother say 鈥淚t鈥檚 not fair鈥� as he was made to eat the smelly thing. She gave up and said I would have to go without. Which I did.
My father had my tripe when he got home from work. I stayed under my bed until it had all gone away.

Z - ZZZ sleep

We had so much broken sleep with night bombing that we all had dark circles under our eyes. Even very small children looked old and tired. Old, rough dressing gowns and eiderdowns were the things we had to bring with us when woken up and socks too if we had time. We were like old people sleep- walking. Well, there was a war on, so they said, again and again鈥�..

Formerly 鈥︹�� 鈥� Treashy鈥� Glading.

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