remembering ww2
VILLAGE VOICES
In 2020 the research team began a project 'Village Voices' to collect memories of Kettlestonians who lived through WW2.
Pat at the age of 14 pictured with her mother in 1941. The photo was taken at Pat's home in Gidea Park Essex. They were about to attend a family wedding.
PAT DIcksON
Pat lived in Gidea Park Essex throughout the war. Here are her war time memories.
OUTBREAK OF WAR
''The day war was declared 3rd September 1939, I was aged 12 years and 7 months. I was competing in a tennis tournament in Hornchurch at the time. When the siren went off we thought we might be gassed [not bombed] but thankfully the all clear siren sounded 10 minutes later.''
SCHOOLING
''I was a pupil at a convent school some miles away and had to travel by train to reach the town. My education was interrupted many times due to the siren sounding and we had to continue studies in an air raid shelter, I didn’t learn much over those years!
I can remember being scared of the doodle bug bombs as one could hear them fly past. Suddenly the engine would cut out and one had to wait for it to fall hopefully not on the house. Later the Germans sent over V2 rockets but there was no warning so if it fell on you that was bad luck.''
HOME LIFE
Pat's father
''My father worked for the Ford Motor Company at Dagenham. This was a prime target for bombs but happily he survived. He became an Air Raid Warden and had to learn to put out incendiary bombs when they fell on houses.''
Cars coming off the production line at Dagenham
Every local council was responsible for organising ARP wardens, messengers, ambulance drivers, rescue parties, and liaison with police and fire brigades.
From 1 September 1939, ARP wardens enforced the blackout. Heavy curtains and shutters were required on all homes, commercial premises, and factories to prevent light escaping and so making them a possible target for enemy bombers .
ARP wardens were central in reporting and dealing with bombing incidents. They managed the air raid sirens and ensured people were directed to shelters.
Pat's mother
''My mother had to cope with food rationing. It was a problem having to feed the family and to find out when there was meat and fish available which meant having to queue. Somehow we survived and the government made sure we did not starve. Bananas were not to be seen until after the war and I was excited to find, on holiday in Ireland, a tin of boiled sweets. Rationing went on long after the war had ended.
Coal for fires was rationed too, so keeping warm was difficult and we were asked to only use 5 inches of water in the bath. ''
employment
''My first job was in an office in the City. I travelled by train to Liverpool Street station every day but I couldn’t be sure if the trains would be running due to coal shortage. On arrival, I didn’t know if the office building would be there or not as there was much bombing going on.''
The ruins of the City of London from Southwark Bridge to Blackfriars - photo taken from St Paul's Cathedral in 1942
VE day in London. Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their daughters
VE DAY
''May 1945 VE day. I can’t remember much about the day but I know I was out riding my bicycle in the local park and we were overjoyed to know that the war had ended. By this time life had returned to sort of normal and we all knew beforehand that victory wasn’t far away. I know there was great rejoicing all over the world and Winston Churchill was our hero.''
keeping pigs
''In the garden where we lived we looked after two pigs with our neighbour and when they were ready to be slaughtered we had to give half back to the government and we were allowed to keep the rest in a cold warehouse. We took out joints when needed and this was 1949.''
During the Second World War the public were encouraged to supplement food rations by keeping pigs. The Small Pig Keeper’s Council (SPKC) was the national governing body responsible for promoting the keeping of pigs and supporting the setting up of Pig Clubs around England and Wales. Pig Clubs were groups of between four and 25 people who came together to raise pigs. They provided household food waste for the pigs to eat, cleaned the sties, and shared in the meat produced. Half of the pigs raised had to be handed over to the Ministry of Food.
The entrance to the Savoy Hotel
DINING OUT
''The government put a tariff on meals eaten out and my husband and I had meals at the Savoy and other well-known restaurants in the West End. ''
Meals eaten away from home, whether in expensive West End restaurants or industrial canteens, were ‘off ration’ and a popular alternative with Londoners who could afford them. The conspicuous ability of the rich to enjoy almost pre-war levels of gastronomy at top hotels led to such resentment from Londoners at large that the government prevented restaurants charging more than 5/- a meal from 1942.
Click on the links below to listen to Pat talking about the war
KETTLESTONE
Pat has lived in Kettlestone since 1971
Here she is celebrating her 90th birthday in Kettlestone Village Hall. On the left she is pictured with Gill Ashby and Mary Townsin.
Below left villagers enjoy birthday tea.
A letter from the Bishop of Norwich thanking Pat for her many years of service on Kettlestone PCC
