By Isle of Wight Observer
Looking back on life pre-war has been reflective, including my memories of D-Day and then VE Day in 1945. May 8 was the first time we were allowed out, although I think we still had to carry our gas masks.
I was born in 1931 when there was a National Government, which was a cross-party coalition, formed by Ramsay MacDonald. My Swedish grandmother came over for my birth and I started to arrive during one of the Powis Pinder performances. The whole cast, including some very well-known names, sent my mother flowers. Their show was in the old seaplane hangar from Bembridge on the seafront at Shanklin, which is still there today. My mother was also Swedish; I can remember the Red Cross asking for blood donors to volunteer, and then refusing my mother’s offer of a donation because she was foreign – it wouldn’t happen now!
Being born in Shanklin, we were fortunate to have a beach hut. Arthur Askey had the hut next door, and his daughter, Anthea, who went to Upper Chine School, is the same age as I am. My parents also knew Tommy Trinder, who, like Arthur Askey, spent many summers in Shanklin.
Living in a rural community, I used to bicycle to my small school run by two ex-governesses, four miles up the gated road alone; my sister Rosemary was too young. We started by pony trap, and collected the milk on the way back. Living and growing up in a rural community I had to help with the harvest, which was most unpopular with me because of my terrible hayfever.
During the school holidays, a great treat was when the coach took us to town to see the pantomime, which was probably Snow White, as we weren’t allowed to see Gone With The Wind at the picture house – it was too racey. I loved the wireless, particularly Much Binding in the Marsh with Kenneth Horne, Richard Murdoch and Dora Bryan, and The Man in Black with Valentine Dyall, and they still make me smile.
At home the Czechs were stationed half a mile away, and at school (after being evacuated) the Canadians were billeted in the grounds.
Although out of bounds, we used to have tea with them and they called us “sister”. We had to observe black-outs every night due to the fear of overhead enemy aircraft seeing a light below and dropping a bomb.
Of course, cooking had been part of the school curriculum. We were shown ways of prolonging the shelf-life of food and shown different recipes for Spam! We also learned how to ‘make do and mend’ to make and repair clothes. After the war I was sent to Sweden for six months to learn dressmaking – it was the time of Dior!
My first job was in Austin Friars, where we had luncheon vouchers worth around three shillings. My sister, Rose, and myself lived on eggs and pasta, as we couldn’t afford the meat ration, which went on until 1955. We ate the month’s sweet ration between our village and home, which was half-a-mile across the fields, or one and a half by road.
My next job was in the city. I can clearly remember, during rationing, bringing a hare on the underground to give to the housekeeper at the office to cook, which created a lovely smell wafting down to the partners.
Looking forward, Shanklin Chine is hoping to host a special Royal Marine event in July, with the Chine, including pipeline PLUTO, very much a part of those historic events 80 years ago.