WAR TIME MEMORIES: ‘KEEPING THE COUNTRY GOING’

 The following account of wartime recollections has been given to us by Mrs Joyce Hall, of Bell End.  It is one of several sent in response to a request from Bromsgrove Museum for such information, and for inclusion in a project the museum ran a while ago.

 I lived at Bell End Cottages, Bell End.  Bell End was very quiet during the war, as most people worked very long hours.  If the siren went my parents and my brothers and I used to go over to the Bell Inn and go down the cellar which was very cold and damp.  After a few times my father said “we will stay at home and hope for the best!”

 My mother worked hard during the war both on the land and at the Bell Inn.  We were lucky as a family.  We kept a pig and chickens and grew our vegetables. 

I went to work along with my father and two brothers to the Austin Motor Co.  I did lots of jobs, my first being cutting out covers for Army Lorries and also the seating for them.  Next on to the Beaufighter plane which was metal, I did riveting on the small fins.

 I did one month on days and one month on nights.  On days our hours were 7.30am until 6.30pm.  I also did a shift 6am until 3.30pm which meant getting a bus at 5.20am.  My first pay packet was £1.05 that was for working 6 days.

 At certain times the Works had an allocation of Mars bars, always a mad dash to the canteen when we were told they had arrived.  We always had “Music While You Work” on and we had concerts in the canteen.

 The Austin had several very large Air Raid Shelters all under ground, no sooner would the siren go, and everyone took to their heels.  The Austin was only hit by bombs once, which was a very frightening experience in which several workers were killed and many injured, including a man from Belbroughton I just can’t remember his name.