If my memory of war-time is hazy, what is clearer in my mind was a gradual realisation, as I got older (in Yorkshire) and ran errands, of the hardships we all went through due to the combined effects of lack of money and rationing[56], and how much our parents sacrificed for we three children.
The next major national event I remember was while at school at Littlemoor, when we were sent home mid-morning because the King (George VI) had died[57]. I ran home through the fields, rushed in and told my parents, who hadn’t heard and were worried why I was home at that time. So we put on the radio and found solemn music being played, interspersed by brief announcements … “This is London”. Of course, at school we followed subsequent national events as they happened; the accession announcements and proclamations, the King’s funeral, and of course the preparation for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. We did scrapbooks[58], and made cardboard models of the coach, horses and warders. When the day came, everyone who could invited themselves to one of the few of our friends who had a TV set (people said that the coronation was the event that “sold” television), and we went to Mrs Smithies of Guiseley (known as “Brown Owl” due to her involvement in guiding), and watched the events there. And of course, the great news that day was of the first conquest of Mount Everest, the day before, by a joint British and Commonwealth expedition.
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[56] Whenever we bought food items, we paid money and handed over the ration ticket to cover the item; the “ration books” were wartime measures to ensure that everyone had their fair share of what food there was – they remained in force will into the 1950’s. When we needed extra sugar (e.g. to make jam) we had to save our vouchers for a few weeks beforehand.
[57] 6th February 1952 – the Queen and I share the anniversary date of our respective father’s deaths.
[58] I still have a full set of these, and the programme, plus a copy of the following day’s newspaper printed with gold ink!