Wednesday 18th July 2007

Just around the end of the war (1939 - 45) we had quite a number of prisoners around where I lived. Mostly Italians but also some Polish and a few Germans. The Italians especially were really nice as some of the could speak English, they were set to mending the roads. When we went to school they would be there along the main road and when we came back home on the afternoon they seemed as though they had just moved a little further. It was rather strange, looking back on it, as I am sure that when they had finished their section that they ripped it up and started again. Or maybe my memory after 60 years is playing tricks, but I'm sure its not. We didn't have many German prisoners but I remember an incident when a young man came to our door and asked for a drink of water, these prisoners were working just along our road, and my grandma told my mother to make him a cup of tea. He was only about 16. He had the tea and went back to work, whereupon my mother said to my grandma, "he was a German". Up till that time my grandma used to say that if she met any German she would run him through , presumably with her carving knife. When mother told her this she cried. She realised then how the young men of the enemy had been taken into service, just as ours had. At the same time there were American forces stationed on the main road at the top of our street. They were billeted in what were called Nissen huts. My godmother, Auntie Annie, who lived next door to us used to take me walks and when we went past they used to come out and make quite a fuss of me, giving me chocolate, which we couldn't get. I think most of them were missing their own children back in the states. It was always very nice to see them and they were so kind. It was sad when they left. They seemed just to vanish, as did the POWs, overnight. I suppose the war was nearly at an end. When V.E. day was declared (victory over Europe) we had a street party, all our mothers made sandwiches and jelly and we kids had games and on the evening someone brought a piano into the street and we all danced and sang songs. A little later on that year V.J. (victory over Japan) day was announced then we had another party. At this time there was a farm next to our street, its now a large housing estate, and Mr. Taylor who was the farmer let us use his field to have the party in. We had games again and food, and a fancy dress parade. I was dressed as an old fashioned lady complete with bonnet and basket and my sister Val who as I have said before couldn't walk, was dressed in a big Union flag in her pram. As is usual on party days, it rained on the afternoon, and mother took us home. The next day someone came and brought two very runny chocolate bars that we had won in the fancy dress competition. I don't know where they had been kept overnight , of course there were no refrigerators for ordinary folks in those days so I suppose they had just been left on someones kitchen table probably near the fire. We still ate it though. I'll tell more next time.