8th May is VE Day. 80 years ago, we celebrated the end of the war in Europe, I would have loved to have been in Trafalgar Square on that momentous day.
I was born in 1946 but in my childhood, it was still very much in everyone’s memory and this country was still in the aftermath of the war. I remember as a schoolboy still having to use coupons to buy sweets, everything was in short supply and there was still rationing on certain items. We were very fortunate to live on a small farm and although there were seven kids to feed, we did not go without good wholesome food. My father also had a job besides the farm to make ends meet. He drove an ice wagon, in those days refrigeration was not as advanced as today and ice was commonly delivered to shops in large blocks.
My father would often bring home fish and other foodstuffs that had ‘fallen off the back of a wagon’. I well remember eating liquid ice cream that had melted, it was delicious and for years I thought all ice cream was liquid! We had our own pies and poultry so we never went without meat, also in those days we could always go out and catch a few rabbits. We had a pet greyhound, and it was like lightning at chasing rabbits. Of course, this is frowned upon today, but they were different times and needs must.
During the war soldiers often took booty from defeated enemy and I remember as an eight-year-old one kid brought to school a German Luger pistol complete with ammunition! The teacher was not surprised or shocked but merely took the gun, put it in his desk and told the boy to take it home after school. Can you imagine the uproar that would occur if this happened nowadays? Three of my teachers were ex forces, one in particular Mr Pugh was ex RAF and flew in Lancaster bombers. I knew him for many years after I left school, and he was a very modest, quiet man who didn’t say much about the war. I find this common with ex-service men and women, but we all owe them a great debt of gratitude for what they did for us, and we should never forget their sacrifices.
There is lots of war memorabilia in the shop and you are always welcome to call in for a look around at the items which remember such a tough time in our history.
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