Ruby's Memoirs

9. Second World War - the first few months

So war became a reality. I think few people realized what it would really mean at the time, surely anything would be better than the uncertainty of recent times. After the shock, recruitment for everything went on. Now there was work for all and so much work to be done. More and more people wore uniform of some sort; air raid shelters were specially built for civilians, factories sprang up overnight for engineering, munitions for war, materials for clothing for the three forces, fighter planes, bombers. Large air-ship type of balloons without engines were fixed to the ground by cables around all large cities to prevent landing and low flying of enemy planes. The whole of the British Isles had to be blacked out at night immediately, and no light was allowed to be seen after dusk. Gasometers of which there were many at that time were camouflaged. We were all issued with gas masks which had to be carried at all times as air raids were expected immediately and there was always the threat of an attempted invasion. What had we got to stop Hitler? There was a rush to “join up”, and friends disappeared, a few weeks later reappeared in uniform only to be off again to training camps. The skies were alive with the sound of trainer aircraft learning the art of flying, and so apart from the regular forces we did produce a kind of “Fred Karno's” army but with so much courage.

Everybody wanted to learn to fly. Some women learnt but were not used in combat. One girl, Amy Johnson, who in the 20’s flew solo to Australia in The Gypsy Moth a fragile biplane and she made history, was their ideal, and a select few followed her, later they formed a team that was used in the war for ferrying war planes of all types from America. Amy herself was killed as well as some others during this dangerous work. I didn't learn to fly but I did learn to drive a car, which I found to be so necessary during the war. There were few garages open as petrol was short and eventually rationed, so if you broke down or had a puncture it was up to you to get it moving as there was no AA or RAC as far as I can remember, but I know they were operating soon after the war. It was amazing how altered the country became.

Women were used in all war work except actual fighting. They were bus clippies, station porters, I believe they were even dustmen in the industrial north. They also became land girls and were a great help on the land, where I had dealings with them on the farm. These were a bunch who lived in the farm house or were billeted out in nearby houses so they could put in the long hours of work without any waste of time. They were up at 5.30.am to do early milking, back to breakfast and then get ready for the first milk round at 8.am. This round was done by pony and milk chariot. Back to the farm to sterilize milk bottles and clean out cow sheds, back to lunch then on to the afternoon milking, and bottling up and out again to finish off any deliveries and back to the farm, rub down the pony and feed, clean the chariot, usually with a hose, sterilize bottles and back to dinner. And an evening for whatever they could keep awake for. I know all about this as I had three of them living in for the last three years of the war. They were the worst paid army of all time I should think and at the end of the war when they were no longer wanted they were demobbed with nothing but allowed to keep their trousers and their shoes which was a great joke at the time as they said they were “dismissed and suitably clad” with trousers and shoes. Their humour during their long working hours was unrivalled. I kept in touch for some years, two married and one came back and worked for me again as she couldn’t settle down in London with her family.

While all this preparation was going on war still seemed phoney as far as the population was concerned as news was scarce, there was only the radio, the news in the Cinema, Pathé’s Gazette for information, and the newspapers didn’t print the kind of news one gets today.

I went to see my parents about this time as there was talk of evacuation of all south coastal towns and as they had retired to the South Downs at the back of Lancing I was anxious about moving them again, but I was amazed at the transformation of the coast line. Landing traps all along the coast and aircraft entrenchments were being built into the Downs and signs of Defence everywhere. My father had been approached about leaving, but true to his Yorkshire doggedness he said he had only moved once in his married life and he wasn’t doing it again for any d-d Hun; he had lived through the Boer War and the First World War so he thought he could manage and he did - just.

However, people began to think that it would never develop, and Hitler would go away, even Chamberlain our Prime Minister said “Hitler had missed the Bus”, and really I suppose he had as he could have walked all over us in the previous year. As it was we were being sadly beaten on the seas as the U-Boats took on our merchant navy and many a ship with its crew and cargo and passengers if any were sent to the bottom. America tried to remain out of it but was helping by sending food and equipment across the Atlantic. This was good for their economy as Roosevelt pulled her out of the slump. We were trading heavily with her as our colonies were in the war with us, and had their own problems fitting out their armies for war.

Rationing here was being tightened. I remember the cheese ration of this time was 2 oz. per person per week, one bite half was gone, another bite the week’s ration. I used to make cream cheese with churns of milk which managed to go sour at times. It was really quite tasty with pepper and salt and a few chopped chives from the garden. I think you’d pay quite a lot from a delicatessen these days for exactly the same thing.

Meanwhile the news got worse, we all carried a torch at night as it was pitch dark, street lights were few and masked cars lights were only side and back lights, these also were masked, as were bicycle lights. How we got around I don't know, if you were on a main road you followed the car in front until he turned off somewhere, and you didn't know where, as all sign posts had been taken down, so you drove on until you found out at last your location. This was usually in a pub so very often you didn't get much further.

The evacuation of the children from the big cities to the country seemed to be a good thing at the time but few of the children appreciated it as they were away from their parents with strangers, also they were afraid of the country, some had never seen a blade of grass or a cow or sheep and were terrified when they baa-aed or moo-ed, so after the excitement of the evacuation many returned to their London homes with their parents and the bombing which was to come.

Ruby Bullock
• to be continued.