[Margaret Pilkington]

We were very poor.......all our shoes came from jumble sales, clothes too.
We had a gas meter that ate shillings like it was going out of fashion....and many times it ran out and there was nothing to feed it with.
My dad was ill for years after the war...he was blown up after the D-Day landings, and couldn't work........there was no real help. I reckon if it hadn't been for the free school dinners, and lovely Mrs Almond,(she owned a nearby bread shop and gave us the left-overs at the end of the day) we would have starved to death.
My mum had three jobs......she used to go to the market late on a Saturday and scrounge vegetables and fruit for us.
Having said that, there were many other families like us, so it didn't seem anything special. My childhood was what formed my character and determination, so I should be thankful.