London school days in the war.

Tom Holloway (tom.holloway@u3a.org.uk)
Tue, 15 Dec 1998 00:04:43 -0000 

.
Hello Kerstin Schrandt. Here are some answers to your questions.


        1. The story you are writing about or telling us about is how you were
                rationed and how you had to you use less food?

That's right. There was food rationing right through the war and for a few
years afterwards too.



        2. What besides jelly did your family have to scrap for?

I'm not sure I understand this. Do you mean 'scrap' as in fighting? That's
what the word means over here. Maybe you mean 'scrape'? I can remember on
my web page saying that I used to spread the jam (you call it 'jelly' I
think) very very thinly. That's because a pound pot of jam had to last me
and my family for four weeks. Looking back I think my mother just didn't
have any, so that I could eat her ration.


        3. Did you have enough to eat?

Yes. I expect we would find it really tough now - but we were used to it.
Remember that the whole point of rationing was so that _everyone_ could
have enough to eat. It was a way to make things as fair as possible. We ate
a lot of potatoes and cabbage and swede (rutabaga I think you call it) but
we were all very healthy. And we were all allowed a real egg every week!


        4. What were some of your family troubles during the war?

Not much. I didn't see my father very often; when he got home from work he
had to get on his Home Guard uniform and go and learn about soldiering in
case the German Army invaded us - or he was on the roof of a local building
as an Air Raid Warden during the air raids, watching out for incendiary
bombs.



        5. How many brothers and or sisters did you have?

Just one sister.


        6. Were any of your family scent to a concentration camp?

No. France and Holland and Belgium and many other countries were occupied,
but Britain was never invaded.


        9. Did your family every go into hiding?

No. There was nobody to hide from.

=======================
Tom Holloway
tom.holloway@u3a.org.uk
University of the Third Age
Tel: (+44) (0) 1926-771772
Fax: (+44) (0) 1926-771707