Resources Search Results - full record

Title INTERVIEW WITH MR PETER MULLARD

Description

I was aged seven the month that war broke out in 1939 and was just starting at George Street Junior School after spending two years in the infants school in Queen Street (now Queensway) opposite where the garage is now situated. In those days a farm house stood there. I lived with my parents in Herbert Street in the Old Town.

At first there were no air raid shelters but one was soon built in the field behind the school which I believe was owned by the adjacent iron foundry. In the meantime I remember that each teacher was allocated a number of streets and the idea was that if the sirens sounded then we would meet up with that teacher who would take us home. In those days mothers did not generally go out to work so would most likely be at home. However, it rarely happened if at all. We all carried gas masks.

In 1943 I moved to the senior school in Crabtree Lane. There were only two senior schools in the town at that time, Hemel Hempstead Grammar School (now The Hemel Hempstead School) and the secondary school in Crabtree Lane which was demolished some years ago. Although it was one building, Crabtree Lane was in effect two schools, the boys being upstairs and the girls downstairs. Both had their own teachers and separate facilities, including air raid shelters. These were partially underground and were located on the far side of the playgrounds from the school building. It was dark down there, but we were not really scared because we were all in it together. I seem to recall that there was some form of artificial lighting, probably paraffin lamps. We sat on benches facing each other. There was no heating. We spent many hours in the shelters, particularly when the V1 (Doodlebug) attacks started followed by the V2 rockets. I believe I am right in saying that we did some of our end of year exams in 1944 sitting in the shelters.

When rationing started in 1940 I wonder how our mothers were able to feed the family on such small supplies like 2 ounces of butter per week which is roughly the equivalent of just 85 grams. Rations were supplemented by gardens being dug up to grow vegetables and fruit or cultivating an allotment. This went hand in hand with the ?make do and mend? slogan. I had to persevere with patches on my clothing and darned socks, as was common during the war years and for a number of years after. Rationing did not completely end until 1954.

There was a British restaurant in Marlowes, located where Primark is now. Here you could get a meal for a reasonable price but it was not very nice so my wife Audrey tells me. Apparently, amongst other things, you could have ?pom? which was dried potato which as soon as you put gravy on it disintegrated into mush.

People were very friendly to each other. For instance, I remember being down the Old High Street one day with my mother when word went round that Woolworths had saucepans. We all rushed down there and joined the ever- lengthening queue which was the natural thing to do in those days. My mother then discovered she did not have enough money and a stranger behind her in the queue offered to lend her sufficient to buy a set.. I don?t know if people would do things like that today.

Hemel was quite rural with a population of about 20,000 and surrounded by villages. It was bombed but luckily most of the bombs landed in fields and only caused blast damage to nearby properties. The worst incident was in Belswain Lane, Nash Mills where a number of houses were destroyed and others damaged including the school and the old public house. A number of people were killed.

I remember when I first saw evacuees. My parents and I were returning from holidaying with my grandparents in Surrey a few days after the war had started and there were children playing on the moor opposite Boxmoor (now Hemel Hempstead) station. Perhaps many of them had never had the pleasure of playing in open fields before.

Air raid precautions included blackout blinds and putting gummed tape over window panes to avoid flying glass in the event of a bomb falling nearby. The few vehicles that were around had masks over their headlights. If we wanted to go out after dark, to visit the outside toilet, for instance, we had to use a shaded torch, such as one with a cloth covering it. Those toilets were unlit and could be scary in themselves with spiders and other creepy crawlies lurking in the corners! My wife?s family had an outside toilet at their cottage. Fortunately ours was indoors. ARP wardens patrolled the streets to ensure nobody violated the blackout regulations. Cars had masks over their headlights and bumpers painted white.

There was double summertime which culminated in the sun setting at 11 o? clock. I remember we would stand in the garden and watch our bomber planes flying over Hemel town during the evening on the way to bomb German targets. Apart from that there was almost a constant sound of aircraft of one sort or another flying overhead during the day and night. Many people like us didn?t have bathrooms. You either had to go to the public baths or use a tin bath in front of the fire. The public baths were on the corner of the appropriately named Bath Street and Marlowes and were a part of the water works where the Civic Centre is now. Apparently it cost a shilling (5p) to have a bath. People went once a week and had the regulation 5 inches of water. A lady would come with a spanner and turn off the hot water so you didn?t get more. I used a tin bath but my wife went to the public baths with her mother and sister.

The town was full of service personnel, men and women, all in the uniform of one or other of the services, and of all nationalities from Europe and the Commonwealth in particular. Also there was the Home Guard (Dad?s Army) of which my father was a member.
Then in 1941 American servicemen came to Hemel. They were stationed at Bovingdon where they took over the airfield from the RAF. I vividly recall the arrival of these men in strange uniforms and of Afro-American origin. It was the first time for many of us local people to see men who were not white. That contingent soon disappeared but the Americans remained at the airfield until well after the war ended. They were generally very friendly to us children and we would sometimes meet them coming out of pubs and ask for chewing gum, ?Have you any gum, chum?? One year we were invited by the Americans to a Christmas party at Bovingdon. They picked us up in town and transported us to the airfield and did us proud. We got lots of goodies, such as chocolate which was a real luxury as sweets were not available at all during the war years as I recall.

When the war ended there were several street parties with local children and evacuees all celebrating the victorious end of the war. The war in Europe ended on 8th May 1945 and against Japan on the 15th August that year. I was then 13 and started work the following year.
Hemel was a good place to be during the war. It was a relatively safe country town with fantastic community spirit. Everyone pulled together as I am sure they did throughout the whole country.

Interview by Sophie Horwood

Keywords George Street Junior School, Crabtree Lane School, air raid shelters, rationing, bombing, evacuees, blackout, Americans, bombing, doodlebugs

Collection Home Front

Place Hemel Hempstead

Year 1939

Conflict World War Two

File type html

Record ID number 76

Return to the search results?

Can you add any more information to this resource?

If so please complete this form and we will be in touch

Change text size -

Title	INTERVIEW WITH MR PETER MULLARD
Description	I was aged seven the month that war broke out in 1939 and was just starting at George Street Junior School after spending two years in the infants school in Queen Street (now Queensway) opposite where the garage is now situated. In those days a farm house stood there. I lived with my parents in Herbert Street in the Old Town. At first there were no air raid shelters but one was soon built in the field behind the school which I believe was owned by the adjacent iron foundry. In the meantime I remember that each teacher was allocated a number of streets and the idea was that if the sirens sounded then we would meet up with that teacher who would take us home. In those days mothers did not generally go out to work so would most likely be at home. However, it rarely happened if at all. We all carried gas masks. In 1943 I moved to the senior school in Crabtree Lane. There were only two senior schools in the town at that time, Hemel Hempstead Grammar School (now The Hemel Hempstead School) and the secondary school in Crabtree Lane which was demolished some years ago. Although it was one building, Crabtree Lane was in effect two schools, the boys being upstairs and the girls downstairs. Both had their own teachers and separate facilities, including air raid shelters. These were partially underground and were located on the far side of the playgrounds from the school building. It was dark down there, but we were not really scared because we were all in it together. I seem to recall that there was some form of artificial lighting, probably paraffin lamps. We sat on benches facing each other. There was no heating. We spent many hours in the shelters, particularly when the V1 (Doodlebug) attacks started followed by the V2 rockets. I believe I am right in saying that we did some of our end of year exams in 1944 sitting in the shelters. When rationing started in 1940 I wonder how our mothers were able to feed the family on such small supplies like 2 ounces of butter per week which is roughly the equivalent of just 85 grams. Rations were supplemented by gardens being dug up to grow vegetables and fruit or cultivating an allotment. This went hand in hand with the ?make do and mend? slogan. I had to persevere with patches on my clothing and darned socks, as was common during the war years and for a number of years after. Rationing did not completely end until 1954. There was a British restaurant in Marlowes, located where Primark is now. Here you could get a meal for a reasonable price but it was not very nice so my wife Audrey tells me. Apparently, amongst other things, you could have ?pom? which was dried potato which as soon as you put gravy on it disintegrated into mush. People were very friendly to each other. For instance, I remember being down the Old High Street one day with my mother when word went round that Woolworths had saucepans. We all rushed down there and joined the ever- lengthening queue which was the natural thing to do in those days. My mother then discovered she did not have enough money and a stranger behind her in the queue offered to lend her sufficient to buy a set.. I don?t know if people would do things like that today. Hemel was quite rural with a population of about 20,000 and surrounded by villages. It was bombed but luckily most of the bombs landed in fields and only caused blast damage to nearby properties. The worst incident was in Belswain Lane, Nash Mills where a number of houses were destroyed and others damaged including the school and the old public house. A number of people were killed. I remember when I first saw evacuees. My parents and I were returning from holidaying with my grandparents in Surrey a few days after the war had started and there were children playing on the moor opposite Boxmoor (now Hemel Hempstead) station. Perhaps many of them had never had the pleasure of playing in open fields before. Air raid precautions included blackout blinds and putting gummed tape over window panes to avoid flying glass in the event of a bomb falling nearby. The few vehicles that were around had masks over their headlights. If we wanted to go out after dark, to visit the outside toilet, for instance, we had to use a shaded torch, such as one with a cloth covering it. Those toilets were unlit and could be scary in themselves with spiders and other creepy crawlies lurking in the corners! My wife?s family had an outside toilet at their cottage. Fortunately ours was indoors. ARP wardens patrolled the streets to ensure nobody violated the blackout regulations. Cars had masks over their headlights and bumpers painted white. There was double summertime which culminated in the sun setting at 11 o? clock. I remember we would stand in the garden and watch our bomber planes flying over Hemel town during the evening on the way to bomb German targets. Apart from that there was almost a constant sound of aircraft of one sort or another flying overhead during the day and night. Many people like us didn?t have bathrooms. You either had to go to the public baths or use a tin bath in front of the fire. The public baths were on the corner of the appropriately named Bath Street and Marlowes and were a part of the water works where the Civic Centre is now. Apparently it cost a shilling (5p) to have a bath. People went once a week and had the regulation 5 inches of water. A lady would come with a spanner and turn off the hot water so you didn?t get more. I used a tin bath but my wife went to the public baths with her mother and sister. The town was full of service personnel, men and women, all in the uniform of one or other of the services, and of all nationalities from Europe and the Commonwealth in particular. Also there was the Home Guard (Dad?s Army) of which my father was a member. Then in 1941 American servicemen came to Hemel. They were stationed at Bovingdon where they took over the airfield from the RAF. I vividly recall the arrival of these men in strange uniforms and of Afro-American origin. It was the first time for many of us local people to see men who were not white. That contingent soon disappeared but the Americans remained at the airfield until well after the war ended. They were generally very friendly to us children and we would sometimes meet them coming out of pubs and ask for chewing gum, ?Have you any gum, chum?? One year we were invited by the Americans to a Christmas party at Bovingdon. They picked us up in town and transported us to the airfield and did us proud. We got lots of goodies, such as chocolate which was a real luxury as sweets were not available at all during the war years as I recall. When the war ended there were several street parties with local children and evacuees all celebrating the victorious end of the war. The war in Europe ended on 8th May 1945 and against Japan on the 15th August that year. I was then 13 and started work the following year. Hemel was a good place to be during the war. It was a relatively safe country town with fantastic community spirit. Everyone pulled together as I am sure they did throughout the whole country. Interview by Sophie Horwood
Keywords	George Street Junior School, Crabtree Lane School, air raid shelters, rationing, bombing, evacuees, blackout, Americans, bombing, doodlebugs
Collection	Home Front
Place	Hemel Hempstead
Year	1939
Conflict	World War Two
File type	html
Record ID number	76