R
Robert Harrison
Guest
Thank You Mister Anderson
Part Seven
With all of our young men away, also those of somewhat
Older age, who had two eyes, two legs, and a trigger
Finger. The way was open for the women to show just what
They were made of. Mrs. Pankhurst had nothing on Mr. War.
Women flocked to the factories and onto the land. Kids got
Left for the older kids to look after. “Now our Dave, yo do as
Our Dotty tells yer, and don’t yo goo given er any of yower
Cheek. I know er might only be a year older than yo, but yo
Mind wot yoer dooin. Now,yo give us a kiss and goo straight
To school. Now, av this penny an, goo an, get yowerself
A gobstopper on yer way ,ome. Tarrar now”.
Gobstoppers, now what made me think of those? Dangerous things
Were gobstopper, great big round sweets that changed color
When you sucked them, but get one past your teeth and into
Your mouth and it stayed there until someone came to prize your
Mouth open wide enough to get it out again. Oo! it hurt.
Two ounces of sweets a week was all that we were allowed. And
You had to part with a couple of sweet coupons before the shopkeeper
Handed them over. There is a knack in making two ounces of sweets
Last the whole week. We broke them in half, or in the case of the
Deadly gobstopper, smashed it with dad’s hammer and got a hundred
Pieces. Sherbet or Kahli was a favorite of mine. A bag of fizzy powder
That you sucked up though a liquorice straw, and it all fizzed up in
Your mouth. Mind you, you had to be careful that you sucked and
Not sort of breathed in, or you finished up with fizzy lungs. Not a
Very pleasant feeling I can tell you having lungs that fizzed. I remember
The liquorice root that we also had in place of sweets, you sucked
And chewed all of the liquorice juice out, until you finished up with
A limp bit of stringy stuff, that was only good for putting down the
Girl’s blouses.
Only once did I ever complain about not having enough food on my
Dinner plate, well the amount of food that you were allowed would
Have fitted onto a saucer. Mom did tell me off, about how dad worked
Hard for the little we were allowed and to be grateful for what I had.
She was right, we did not have much but what we did not have we
Did not miss, and it always seemed enough. There were no fat kids
In those war days, except for Billy Martin he was always fat.
“Fatty Billy, Fatty Billy you’ve got a little willy”. Having the name
Of Harrison caused my mates to call me Arrybone Backbone. Heck it
Was all in fun. There is no point in telling you about all of the games
That we played. You can read all about those in other works on this
Website. Have a read and see what you have missed out on. Perhaps
I will tell you of one, which was not so much a game, but what we
Enjoyed doing. Fire Cans. Never heard of them have you, I did not
Think that you would. Well we all had an empty tin each and we knocked
Holes all over it, in the sides and on the bottom with a large nail. We
Would then tie on a long wire handle. Into the tin can, we would put a bit
Of paper or dry grass, some kindling and get a fire going in tin someone
Would pinch some small pieces of coal from the coal house, and into
The tin these would go. To get the fire really going we would all swing
The tins round and round until the miniature brazier was roaring away.
We kept these fires going as long as the coal lasted. All of this was
Done during daylight hours. When the war was over, and even though
We were much older we made up some fire cans, and had them roaring
Away at night. When all were nearly white hot, we would send them up
Into the air as high as we could. What a show they put on when hitting
The ground sending sparks everywhere.
I am not sure just when the government organized the L.D.V the
Local Defense Volunteers, this was later to be called The Home Guard,
Made famous by the TV show “Dads Army”. All right, so they only had broom
Handles to practice with, well, as Corporal Jones often said, “They don’t
Like it up em”. It was not long before they were issued with the famous
Enfield 303 rifle. A bolt-action gun which was pretty well spot one at
One thousand yards. The Home Guard remained in force until about 1952
Before it was disbanded. I was in the in the Home Guard for a few
Months after being demobed from the army. Later I went with
Captain Mainwearing and together we took charge of the Army Cadets
At Redditch. He as captain in charge and myself as his sergeant major.
Anyway, back to the war. Every major city that was capable of producing
Something towards the war effort was bombed. Most of the car plants were
To be turned over to making military vehicles of every description. The
Women were just wonderful they could do anything. Their nimble fingers
Turned out the smallest bullet, to the largest planes, to the heaviest tank.
Shipyards were left mainly to the older men who knew their job. The ladies,
Well you could not fault them. They were bloomin, marvelous. Many did not
Survive the air raids that were now pretty well continuous. Some cities like
Coventry received one raid that I remember which lasted none stop for some
Twenty-four hours or more. Hundreds of enemy bombers pounded and pounded
Poor old Coventry.
The six o’clock news was listened to every night. My brothers and sister tried
To guess whom the newsreader would be for the night. I always chose Alvar
Adell. (Not sure about the spelling there). We would listen to the number
Of planes shot down and cheered when the total was for more than our own
Planes shot down. It was always a relief when the reader announced that
“All of our planes returned safely”. Towards the latter part of the war we
Often heard the phrase “Heavy fighting was reported”. Secret messages
Were sent nightly to the to the “Underground Freedom Fighters” in France
And other countries. “Mary has her knickers on inside out, Red Riding hood
Is going for her walk”. Every message heard on secret radios, and everyone
Acted upon.
What did us kids do towards the war effort; well we saved silver paper from
Cigarette boxes, string, went to the Common, which had been plowed up, and
We went potato picking with the Land Army girls. We went hay making on
Farms, and we kept the Yanks busy supplying us with gum. “Got any gum chum”
We would ask them. They were nice blokes the Yanks. They did not mind who
They took out on a date, so long as they were over the legal age and under one
Hundred. Oh and female.
All of what I have said so far may sound somewhat tame, don’t forget I
Was some ten miles from Birmingham, and so, apart from the two close
Shaves, we were of little importance. But I heard it all and saw the flames
And heard the screams coming from frightened children. I saw the news
At the pictures, I saw pictures of what the Japanese did to their Chinese
Prisoners and to our own boys. My uncle Fred died while building the
Infamous Burma railway.
You really want to know how bad it was my young friend?
1 out of every 22 Russians, DEAD
1 out of every 25 Germans, DEAD
1 out of every 150 English, DEAD
1 out of ever 150 Italians, DEAD
1 out of every 200 French, DEAD
2 out of every 3 Jews, MURDERED
Estimated populated of European Jews
Before the Holocaust: - 8,861,800.
Estimated number annihilated: - 5,933,900
67% of the Jewish population, DEAD
Total number of people killed during WWII, THIRTYFIVE MILLION
STILL IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.
Do not despair my young reader, this is still a beautiful world full of Mister Anderson’s. One-day peace will reign and every man will love his brother. Who says so? Why the poets say so.
Part Seven
With all of our young men away, also those of somewhat
Older age, who had two eyes, two legs, and a trigger
Finger. The way was open for the women to show just what
They were made of. Mrs. Pankhurst had nothing on Mr. War.
Women flocked to the factories and onto the land. Kids got
Left for the older kids to look after. “Now our Dave, yo do as
Our Dotty tells yer, and don’t yo goo given er any of yower
Cheek. I know er might only be a year older than yo, but yo
Mind wot yoer dooin. Now,yo give us a kiss and goo straight
To school. Now, av this penny an, goo an, get yowerself
A gobstopper on yer way ,ome. Tarrar now”.
Gobstoppers, now what made me think of those? Dangerous things
Were gobstopper, great big round sweets that changed color
When you sucked them, but get one past your teeth and into
Your mouth and it stayed there until someone came to prize your
Mouth open wide enough to get it out again. Oo! it hurt.
Two ounces of sweets a week was all that we were allowed. And
You had to part with a couple of sweet coupons before the shopkeeper
Handed them over. There is a knack in making two ounces of sweets
Last the whole week. We broke them in half, or in the case of the
Deadly gobstopper, smashed it with dad’s hammer and got a hundred
Pieces. Sherbet or Kahli was a favorite of mine. A bag of fizzy powder
That you sucked up though a liquorice straw, and it all fizzed up in
Your mouth. Mind you, you had to be careful that you sucked and
Not sort of breathed in, or you finished up with fizzy lungs. Not a
Very pleasant feeling I can tell you having lungs that fizzed. I remember
The liquorice root that we also had in place of sweets, you sucked
And chewed all of the liquorice juice out, until you finished up with
A limp bit of stringy stuff, that was only good for putting down the
Girl’s blouses.
Only once did I ever complain about not having enough food on my
Dinner plate, well the amount of food that you were allowed would
Have fitted onto a saucer. Mom did tell me off, about how dad worked
Hard for the little we were allowed and to be grateful for what I had.
She was right, we did not have much but what we did not have we
Did not miss, and it always seemed enough. There were no fat kids
In those war days, except for Billy Martin he was always fat.
“Fatty Billy, Fatty Billy you’ve got a little willy”. Having the name
Of Harrison caused my mates to call me Arrybone Backbone. Heck it
Was all in fun. There is no point in telling you about all of the games
That we played. You can read all about those in other works on this
Website. Have a read and see what you have missed out on. Perhaps
I will tell you of one, which was not so much a game, but what we
Enjoyed doing. Fire Cans. Never heard of them have you, I did not
Think that you would. Well we all had an empty tin each and we knocked
Holes all over it, in the sides and on the bottom with a large nail. We
Would then tie on a long wire handle. Into the tin can, we would put a bit
Of paper or dry grass, some kindling and get a fire going in tin someone
Would pinch some small pieces of coal from the coal house, and into
The tin these would go. To get the fire really going we would all swing
The tins round and round until the miniature brazier was roaring away.
We kept these fires going as long as the coal lasted. All of this was
Done during daylight hours. When the war was over, and even though
We were much older we made up some fire cans, and had them roaring
Away at night. When all were nearly white hot, we would send them up
Into the air as high as we could. What a show they put on when hitting
The ground sending sparks everywhere.
I am not sure just when the government organized the L.D.V the
Local Defense Volunteers, this was later to be called The Home Guard,
Made famous by the TV show “Dads Army”. All right, so they only had broom
Handles to practice with, well, as Corporal Jones often said, “They don’t
Like it up em”. It was not long before they were issued with the famous
Enfield 303 rifle. A bolt-action gun which was pretty well spot one at
One thousand yards. The Home Guard remained in force until about 1952
Before it was disbanded. I was in the in the Home Guard for a few
Months after being demobed from the army. Later I went with
Captain Mainwearing and together we took charge of the Army Cadets
At Redditch. He as captain in charge and myself as his sergeant major.
Anyway, back to the war. Every major city that was capable of producing
Something towards the war effort was bombed. Most of the car plants were
To be turned over to making military vehicles of every description. The
Women were just wonderful they could do anything. Their nimble fingers
Turned out the smallest bullet, to the largest planes, to the heaviest tank.
Shipyards were left mainly to the older men who knew their job. The ladies,
Well you could not fault them. They were bloomin, marvelous. Many did not
Survive the air raids that were now pretty well continuous. Some cities like
Coventry received one raid that I remember which lasted none stop for some
Twenty-four hours or more. Hundreds of enemy bombers pounded and pounded
Poor old Coventry.
The six o’clock news was listened to every night. My brothers and sister tried
To guess whom the newsreader would be for the night. I always chose Alvar
Adell. (Not sure about the spelling there). We would listen to the number
Of planes shot down and cheered when the total was for more than our own
Planes shot down. It was always a relief when the reader announced that
“All of our planes returned safely”. Towards the latter part of the war we
Often heard the phrase “Heavy fighting was reported”. Secret messages
Were sent nightly to the to the “Underground Freedom Fighters” in France
And other countries. “Mary has her knickers on inside out, Red Riding hood
Is going for her walk”. Every message heard on secret radios, and everyone
Acted upon.
What did us kids do towards the war effort; well we saved silver paper from
Cigarette boxes, string, went to the Common, which had been plowed up, and
We went potato picking with the Land Army girls. We went hay making on
Farms, and we kept the Yanks busy supplying us with gum. “Got any gum chum”
We would ask them. They were nice blokes the Yanks. They did not mind who
They took out on a date, so long as they were over the legal age and under one
Hundred. Oh and female.
All of what I have said so far may sound somewhat tame, don’t forget I
Was some ten miles from Birmingham, and so, apart from the two close
Shaves, we were of little importance. But I heard it all and saw the flames
And heard the screams coming from frightened children. I saw the news
At the pictures, I saw pictures of what the Japanese did to their Chinese
Prisoners and to our own boys. My uncle Fred died while building the
Infamous Burma railway.
You really want to know how bad it was my young friend?
1 out of every 22 Russians, DEAD
1 out of every 25 Germans, DEAD
1 out of every 150 English, DEAD
1 out of ever 150 Italians, DEAD
1 out of every 200 French, DEAD
2 out of every 3 Jews, MURDERED
Estimated populated of European Jews
Before the Holocaust: - 8,861,800.
Estimated number annihilated: - 5,933,900
67% of the Jewish population, DEAD
Total number of people killed during WWII, THIRTYFIVE MILLION
STILL IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.
Do not despair my young reader, this is still a beautiful world full of Mister Anderson’s. One-day peace will reign and every man will love his brother. Who says so? Why the poets say so.
