Description
Object description
British schoolchild and student in Partridge Green, GB, 1939-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1926-1939: family; education; family move from West Sussex to Shaftesbury, pre-war air raid drills at school in Shaftsbury. Recollections of period as schoolchild and student in Partridge Green, GB, 1939-1945: pattern of her brother careers with British Army and Royal Air Force during Second World War; reaction of younger brother in not being able to enlist in armed forces; opinion of effects of war on brothers; sister's return to farm to have child; opinion of land girls with Women's Land Army; memories of declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; smell of crashed German Air Force aircraft; cheering at Supermarine Spitfire; brother's involvement with Home Guard; German Air Force attacks in area; father's duties as Air Raid Warden with Air Raid Precautions.
REEL 2 Continues: clothes rationing and making clothes; rations; cold weather conditions; troops billeted with family; listening to radio; blackout restrictions; journey to Horsham High School for Girls in Horsham; air raid procedures at school; mother's running first aid course; social activities; visit to theatre in London; sight of military vehicles under camouflage prior to D-Day landings, 1944; relations with local policeman; national anthems being played on radio; deaths of acquaintances; attitude towards war and reaction to brothers being on leave.
REEL 3 Continues: local entertainments; attending teacher training college in Chichester at end of Second World War; post war death of sister; optimism at end of Second World War; meeting husband post-war; wartime potato harvesting and working with flax; story of looking at book about First World War during 1930s; memories of Canadian Army troops; wells built by troops during Second World War; reaction to sight of tanks and aircraft; decision to stay with family when they moved to Partridge Green from Shaftesbury; attitude towards being with family during war; farm life.
REEL 4 Continues: difficulty of obtaining books for college; sweet rationing; memories of being constantly busy on farm; difficulties of farming in wartime.