I spent the rest of this holiday embroidering my cloth, finishing it when I went back home by sewing a
thick lace all round it. I still have this cloth which is now 60 yrs. old at the time of typing this.
 | Mam now joined St. John's Ambulance Brigade and became a nurse in a Nursing Station for casualties. They also arranged parcels for Prisoners of War |
One of the things we enjoyed was listening to the radio, especially to 'Grandma Buggins' who gave us all a laugh. We also had Gert and Daisy and their ideas on what to cook - things Grandma Buggins always found fault with! We were always being advised on what to cook and how to cook it and had 'Potato Pete' and 'Carroty George' and ' Clara Carrot' to help us.
One Ministry of Food pamphlet said:-
'He's a great favourite in the kitchen, our Carroty George. He has a hundred and one ways of making himself agreeable. Given a chance he'll enter into your pots and pans with real relish. He takes to frying, steaming, stewing or boiling, in perfectly good part.'
This is just one of the wartime posters we saw so constantly, together with two of the cookery books which
were printed to help us with the many food shortages.
Whenever there was a party, everyone brought food and I remember Grandma's parties. It was one of the few
occasions when the parlour was opened! Normally the parlour door was locked and only Grandma knew where the
key was. It was a typical Victorian room, beautifully furnished and spotlessly clean, of course, as no-one
ever entered! I remember above the mantlepiece there was a huge ornate, scrolled mirror in dark wood. It
stretched the length of the mantlepiece and reached the ceiling. The carvings were magnificent and it had
four small shelves down each side, with the mirror showing through. On the shelves stood elegant ornaments,
many of which my Grandfather had brought back from his travels as a sailor and deep-sea diver.
There was a sofa and easy chairs in the room and a small table in front of the window. At the opposite side
of the room was a long sideboard on which stood various glass and china ornaments with more glasses and fine
china in the cupboards. I also remember Grandma having two large glass domes in one of which was a stuffed
bird perched on twigs and leaves. The other held various flowers in silk. I loved the flower dome but I
wasn't keen on being eye to eye with the stuffed bird! We had many happy family parties in this room playing
all kinds of games and charades. Grandma would also bring in other small tables and we would all play
'Beetle' - Mam and Dad, Billy and me, my Uncle Harry and Aunty Lily with our cousins Lily and Harry and
another Aunt, Sarah Great Aunt Sarah for she was Grandma's sister, owned a gramophone and at party time she
would bring this to the festivities. I remember it was a great honour being allowed to turn the handle to
wind it up! I look back on these times with great affection and warmth. At Christmas the fire always crackled
brightly in the hearth reflecting their glow in the brass fire irons and the sparkling glassware.
I remember clearly Grandma's Christmas decorations, too. They were large bunches of grapes hanging down from
their paper leaves and vine. I never really liked them as, to me, the grapes had nothing to do with
Christmas and always looked dull and drab. However, out they came every year! Mam and Dad's decorations
were always much nicer as we bought a living tree every year and hung it with the brightest decorations we
could find - most of them pre-war of course. After Grandma's parties Lily and I were always allowed to stay
over and sleep in the spare bedroom. The following day we would get out Grandma's trunk and dress up in her
beautiful, often beaded dresses. Wonderful hats, fans and jewellery. We would then put on a concert singing
songs such as 'I'm only a roving Vagabond.' Wonderful memories of magic moments. Sometimes when we write to
each other we recall these times and the pre-war holidays all the family had together. They have left a
glow of happiness and memories we shall never forget. Now there is only Lily, my brother and me left, but
perhaps in my writing I make the others live again for a generation who never knew them.
I have been carried away on the wings of memory so let me return to school again. Just before school ended
in July I found I had passed the entrance exam for St. Johns so now I was off to yet another school. None
of my friends were going so I was a little apprehensive as to what the other pupils would be like. It was a
mixed school which I hadn't been in for some time so it was with a little trepidation I looked forward to
going. Now it was time to see what we could afford in the way of school uniform. Uniforms were expensive
and also cost clothing coupons so relatives rallied round with spare clothing coupons to deck me out. There
was a lot of saving clothing coupons for relatives during the war, especially when a girl was getting
married. I think everyone hoarded coupons so that she could get a wedding dress. Margarine, sugar and other
ingredients were also saved for their wedding cake which was normally a sponge bottom layer with the rest
of the three tiered cake being made of cardboard!
As for my uniform, this consisted of a dark green gym tunic with a tie sash, yellow blouses and a dark green
blazer with badge. I got most of it but not all. I don't think many girls had the full uniform but we did
the best we could and were all proud of it.
 | My school badge in Green and Gold which I have kept since 1943. St. John's Higher Grade School. |
Elizabeth Aynsley ©
