I Just Had To Get On With It

Even then we knew that war was looming we knew that eventually we would be called up. Donald said that he preferred the Navy; I said that I would like to join the Royal Air Force. The thought of the Army and especially bayonets horrified me, as said in Dad’s Army, they don’t like it up 'em, and I certainly did not fancy it.

About then my sister got in the family way, and had to get married, John Harris was her husband. She had a white wedding at Darton Church, All her Aunties rallied round and it was a lovely occasion, her friend Whinnie Graham and my girl friend Bessie Clegg were bridesmaids, and I was an usher. She went to live at Siltstone near Barnsley. For her it was like going back to the medieval times, no gas, no electricity, and very little water. Also she had to live with his parents who were not very nice with her. Goodness only knows he she tolerated it.

After that dad and I were on our own, we muddled along for a while, it was made more difficult because we were on different shifts and saw very little of each other. Eventually dad advertised for a live in housekeeper, and eventually after turning one or two down, he employed Nellie Brown. Who was a really nice person! And got, and kept the house, and us, in pristine condition. You see we had slipped into slovenly ways, she soon strengthened us up. She was a very competent cook, she could soon have a meal rustled up, one of her specials was mackerel pie, since then I have made it several times but I have never been able to equal her excellence, she must have used ingredient X. I think my dad threw his cap at her, but she must have thrown it back, she stayed with us for a couple of years. I think that there was a bit if gossip about them, I cannot imagine that she left because of that. She had to leave to work at munitions factory.