Working Through War

Childhood Memories of WW2 in Surrey

Rationed balancer meal was obtained from the Ministry of Food office in Millmead, Guildford. The Ministry...

Black Bloomers and Blackout Curtains

I started my working life at Friars Croft laundry in Wymondham and later I went to work for the Wymondham...

The Phoney War

As the result of her activity the John Lewis Partnership accepted me as an apprentice in the knitwear...

Life in London and a Staffordshire Ordinance Factory

I was sent to the Royal Ordinance Factory at Swinnerton, in Staffordshire....

The Weekend Before Christmas 1940: Clayton, Manchester - Effects of Bombing and Growing Up Fast

Frank Smith of Higher Openshaw, Fred Philips of Clayton Vale, Joe Flanaghan of Stuart Street and of course...

Work of National Importance

Just a ten-minute walk to and from my flat and, as the firm's canteen was housed at its main factory,...

'My Best Years in England' - an Indian's War in Birmingham

Born near Lahore when it was part of British India, Mohamed Sharif came to England via Venice in the 1930s,...

Flour Power

I was then employed by Mathews and Thompson's Food Factory, in Newtown Sydney, which was a 35 minute...

Wartime Memories: Part One: Before I Joined the ATS

Most of my time was taken up sewing tags on second-rate stock for reduced sale. For Gladys's...

My Busy War

At this stage, I used to have to shout through to the front shop: "Charlie, do you want pork or beef...

A Teacher in Wartime

We had given up our rented house in Rainham so we stayed in Rochford and looked after the children that...

Stratford Invasion! [by Ministries and GIs]

1 — Edward Booker, born 1902 and his wife, Lilian, born 1909, talk about the Government Treasury...

A Young Teacher's First Post

Eventually Birkenhead took over the responsibility of running Llandulas Village Hall and sent a Mrs Roberts...

My Memories of the War

I made it to Birmingham and it was decided that Mary and the children should come home to Liverpool. We...

Starting Work in Wartime -Chapter Three

One lad who did not say very much shocked the bookie by saying Half a Crown on Frank, the bookie nearly wet...

Memories of a Somercotes girl during the War

I was born Barbara Stevens in 1924 in Swanwick, Derbyshire but lived in Somercotes with my parents, Victor...

A Young Wife’s Memory of Barkingside

I was lucky to have a “white” wedding and I queued at John Lewis’ store from 6.30am for...

Our Day Centre has lots of Memories

A Town Hall in London ANNIE TOOKE kept War Diaries of London when she worked at the Town Hall on Report and...

Edward Priest

Well George Watkins, Gwynne's father and George, they were in business, there were three brothers....

War Snippets

Many interesting people travelled, I can remember a few i.e. Jessie Matthews, Sunny Hale, Robert Newton an...

My Daily Routine on Broome Manor Farm, Swindon

In the afternoons I worked in the dairy, bottling the milk - pressing on the caps by hand - or washing and...

Ada Beackon War Worker

In 1941 I was by now married, I was directed into war work with several of my friends we went into a...

Packing Up The Office Equipment During The Air Raids

Betty Pearce was born in 1926, her full name is Eunice Elizabeth Pearce, whilst generally known as Betty...

A Post-Lady in Dunstable

The Methodist church had canteens where we could get chips, Spam, dried egg, slice of bread and a cup of...

My Life as an Aircraft Dismantler

I was called up at the age of 20 in 1942 to work in an aircraft factory called AV Roe up at...

Working at the Co-op and Village Life: In Barugh Green, Barnsley

We had one day for weighing up the rations of butter, margarine and lard, sometimes 2 ounces of butter, 4...