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Authors: Margaret Dickinson
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chuckled. ‘I was really asking you about me digging a hole for an Anderson shelter in the yard. I want to keep you, Shirley and Reggie safe, especially when I’m not
here.’
‘Then you can ask Lil if you can put one in her backyard and we’ll share it.’
‘You’ll not get everyone in there. Not while Frank’s still here.’
‘How many folk do they hold?’ Edie was determined not to be outdone.
Archie wrinkled his brow as he studied the leaflet. ‘Well, if you pack ’em in like sardines, you can get four adults and four young children in. But in our case, there’d be too
many grown-ups.’
Edie chewed her lip. ‘But we’re complying with the instruction that we should grow all the vegetables we can. I’m already losing all me flowers. Me sweet peas –
everything – just so you can grow potatoes and carrots and the rest.’
‘I’ve let you keep your rose bush.’
‘I should think you have, an’ all. You planted that for me when Laurence was born. You were that thrilled to have a son.’ They smiled at each other as they remembered.
‘But to get back to the Anderson shelter—’
‘I don’t want one, Archie, and that’s final.’
‘But what about Reggie and Shirley?’
‘Reggie won’t be here, if you have your way about him being evacuated and Frank’ll no doubt be gone soon’ – there was a catch in her voice as she was forced to face
the facts – ‘so there’d be plenty of room for the rest of us in Lil’s shelter, if she agrees to you putting one up in her backyard.’
‘Except when I’m home.’
Edie sniffed. ‘Which isn’t often, let’s face it.’
He sighed. ‘I’ll talk to Lil, then.’
‘You do that.’
And, as far as Edie was concerned, the matter was closed.
Lil was quite happy for Archie and Frank to dig up the strip of ground – it hardly warranted the title of ‘garden’ – in her backyard. She’d never been a gardener,
though she intended to do her bit for the war effort by growing a few vegetables now. But when she stood watching the two men beginning to dig the huge hole, she understood Edie’s refusal to
have one in her own backyard.
‘I’ll finish it, Dad, if you have to go back before we’re done.’
‘If you get down to water – and you’re likely to, lad – get in touch with the council. Harry’s digging one in their yard and he told me that they help towards
concreting it. And don’t forget to cover the top with earth deep enough to grow vegetables. Your mam and Lil are going to keep that going when I’m not here.’
And so the Anderson shelter took shape in Lil’s backyard and was made as comfortable as possible. Edie sewed some old blankets together to make sleeping bags and together the two women
collected ‘emergency’ rations and first-aid items.
‘I really don’t know what Archie wanted to do all this for. We haven’t even had any bombs.’
‘He’s just being cautious,’ Lil said. She was grateful for the help she’d received; she couldn’t have constructed such a shelter on her own.
‘We’d better make the most of Christmas this year, Edie,’ Lil warned. ‘They’re starting rationing in the New Year. Butter and bacon’ll be
first, they say.’
‘I know,’ Edie nodded grimly, ‘but it’s sort of started already. There’s a lot of things you can’t get even now.’
‘I’ve made me Christmas cake,’ Lil said. ‘I had the ingredients put aside before the war started.’
‘And I’ve made the puddings.’
The two households always spent festive seasons – Christmas and Easter particularly – together and the two women pooled their resources; something that was going to be even more
useful as the war progressed and shortages really began to bite.
It was a strange time, this first Christmas of the war. They couldn’t help but look back and remember what they’d been doing this time last year, and Edie and Lil looked back even
further, recalling the Christmases of the Great War,
here.’
‘Then you can ask Lil if you can put one in her backyard and we’ll share it.’
‘You’ll not get everyone in there. Not while Frank’s still here.’
‘How many folk do they hold?’ Edie was determined not to be outdone.
Archie wrinkled his brow as he studied the leaflet. ‘Well, if you pack ’em in like sardines, you can get four adults and four young children in. But in our case, there’d be too
many grown-ups.’
Edie chewed her lip. ‘But we’re complying with the instruction that we should grow all the vegetables we can. I’m already losing all me flowers. Me sweet peas –
everything – just so you can grow potatoes and carrots and the rest.’
‘I’ve let you keep your rose bush.’
‘I should think you have, an’ all. You planted that for me when Laurence was born. You were that thrilled to have a son.’ They smiled at each other as they remembered.
‘But to get back to the Anderson shelter—’
‘I don’t want one, Archie, and that’s final.’
‘But what about Reggie and Shirley?’
‘Reggie won’t be here, if you have your way about him being evacuated and Frank’ll no doubt be gone soon’ – there was a catch in her voice as she was forced to face
the facts – ‘so there’d be plenty of room for the rest of us in Lil’s shelter, if she agrees to you putting one up in her backyard.’
‘Except when I’m home.’
Edie sniffed. ‘Which isn’t often, let’s face it.’
He sighed. ‘I’ll talk to Lil, then.’
‘You do that.’
And, as far as Edie was concerned, the matter was closed.
Lil was quite happy for Archie and Frank to dig up the strip of ground – it hardly warranted the title of ‘garden’ – in her backyard. She’d never been a gardener,
though she intended to do her bit for the war effort by growing a few vegetables now. But when she stood watching the two men beginning to dig the huge hole, she understood Edie’s refusal to
have one in her own backyard.
‘I’ll finish it, Dad, if you have to go back before we’re done.’
‘If you get down to water – and you’re likely to, lad – get in touch with the council. Harry’s digging one in their yard and he told me that they help towards
concreting it. And don’t forget to cover the top with earth deep enough to grow vegetables. Your mam and Lil are going to keep that going when I’m not here.’
And so the Anderson shelter took shape in Lil’s backyard and was made as comfortable as possible. Edie sewed some old blankets together to make sleeping bags and together the two women
collected ‘emergency’ rations and first-aid items.
‘I really don’t know what Archie wanted to do all this for. We haven’t even had any bombs.’
‘He’s just being cautious,’ Lil said. She was grateful for the help she’d received; she couldn’t have constructed such a shelter on her own.
‘We’d better make the most of Christmas this year, Edie,’ Lil warned. ‘They’re starting rationing in the New Year. Butter and bacon’ll be
first, they say.’
‘I know,’ Edie nodded grimly, ‘but it’s sort of started already. There’s a lot of things you can’t get even now.’
‘I’ve made me Christmas cake,’ Lil said. ‘I had the ingredients put aside before the war started.’
‘And I’ve made the puddings.’
The two households always spent festive seasons – Christmas and Easter particularly – together and the two women pooled their resources; something that was going to be even more
useful as the war progressed and shortages really began to bite.
It was a strange time, this first Christmas of the war. They couldn’t help but look back and remember what they’d been doing this time last year, and Edie and Lil looked back even
further, recalling the Christmases of the Great War,
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