Z1205/113

Female. Wartime cook in munitions factory. b. 13.04.1919. SIDE A (00 mins)Family History in Millbrook. Details of all relations. Continuing details of father leaving home after the death of his wife and the children bringing themselves up. What Millbrook was like during informant's childhood. Games they used to play and where they used to roam round the village. (10 mins)Making wine from cowslips and elderberries. Going round the woods together. (15 mins)Details of school, teacher and lessons. Listening to the Service of Remembrance with their teacher. (20 mins)Details of the 11+ exams. Continuing details of school life. Walking to the various villages because of lack of transport. Details of various aunts and uncles. (25 Mins)Games played as children. Church and chapel attendance as children and continuing to the present day. (30 mins)Reflections on why the chapel attendance deteriorated. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Left school and became part-time "Mother's help" in Ampthill. Cycled daily. Moved to work in brickworks canteen when 16. Became cook. During Second World War, it became very difficult because of food rationing. She was 20 years old at outbreak. (05 mins)Job became too much and she transferred to the Ordnance Factory at Elstow, managed by Lyons, to become pastry cook. Workers tended to eat at work to save women at home cooking. Elstow brick works were opposite munitions factory. Married a brick worker and had a daughter. (10 mins)Normally cycled to work. Cycled to Bedford most Saturday afternoons, after work. Shop in the outdoor market. Some "wangling" of coupons on the market enabled more material to be bought than the official allocation. Wartime wages. Munitions factory had a large underground air raid shelter. (15 mins)Popular puddings with custard. Excellent foreign chefs working in canteen. From Lyons house in London. She used to make 1000 cakes each afternoon, using a machine. Husband was sacked from brick works in expectation of gong into Army but found work in an iron foundry. Also served in Home Guard in Millbrook and guarded the railway tunnel. (20 mins)Incendiary bombs dropped there in 1945 just before the war ended. Sky was alight when Coventry was bombed. Evacuees in Millbrook. (25 mins)Friendly atmosphere during the war in the village. Two road sweepers. Tied cottages for Duke of Bedford estate workers and council employees. (30 mins)Cheap rents. (32 mins) End of Side B End of Interview. Original Interview 60 mins

14 March 2002

From: 1915 To: 2002

item

London Brick Company,
Marston Valley Brickworks,
Eastwood Flettons Brick Company

cook, World War Two, Elstow Storage Depot, games, child labour, CHILDREN, DEATH, village greens, wine, radio, school mistresses, TRANSPORT, CHURCH, chapels, cycling, brick worker, rationing, , employment of women, married woman, markets, wages/conditions, air raid shelters, Home Guard, railways, evacuees, air raids over UK, administration road transport, MILLBROOK, AMPTHILL, ELSTOW, Coventry