My Memories: In Nursling, Southampton

I worked in the engineering factory at a local garage, we started at 7a.m. until 7.p.m. I was about six stone and 5 foot tall. The work was very hard, at the end of the first day I ached in every bone, but still had to get up the next day and cycle to work .Half day on Saturdays were very precious. My sister and I used to go to the local dances in the evening and on Sunday we would try to get to the cinema.

At the beginning of the war people would leave Shirley and take shelter in the country lanes, they would spend all night in the hedges and then go home in the mornings. People were friendly and would often accomodate someone or other with a room.

When the troops started to build up for D day one of the soldiers who was a relative of a relative looked after some of the officers. One day he asked if my mother knew of any one who would be willing to wash the officers sheets. My mother pulled out he copper and lent a hand. We called this her war work.

I remember during that time riding our bikes along the lanes in the early morning anf seeing dark curly heads poking out of blankets all along the road side. By night time they had all gone.

It was rumoured that when the American troops left the local woods they buried all the tinned food they could not take with them, I wonder if this was true?

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