Interview with Joyce Exton Wallace. Five

Interview with Joyce Exton Wallace. Five

Joyce Exton Wallace recalls being given five clothing tokens by the council to clothe herself and her baby Robert, after being bombed. A stranger donated a parcel of baby clothes and she received a pram and more baby clothes from the Canadian Red Cross.

00:02:46 audio recording

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AExtonWallaceJ[Date]-05

When I get out of hospital I went home with my mum because I hadn’t got my own home then but a couple or three days later I went up to the shops to get some shopping for, to see if I could get some clothes for myself and for Robert. He’d only got a nappy. The nappy on and a top and all I’d got on was my pyjamas because it was early in the morning when we got the bomb. Then I went into the shop. I knew them very well because we’d lived there for years. I went in and she was asking, the lady was asking after us and how were we and I said, ‘Well, I’ve come with a few coupons that, the [pause] tokens, clothing tokens that,’ I said, ‘That the grateful council has given me.’ I said, ‘Five tokens to buy clothes for Robert and I.’ I said, ‘And they’ll go on his nappies.’ So she said, ‘Oh love,’ she said, ‘I’ll see what I can do.’ Anyway, she was very good. I got some nappies and a top and some leggings for Robert and I went back to wearing my mother’s things. But the following day I went up to get, at the baker’s to get some bread and stuff, some rolls, and she came out of the shop and she said, ‘Joy, come in a minute. I’ve got something for you.’ She said, ‘When you were in yesterday there was a lady in the shop. Did you see her?’ I said, ‘I saw a lady but I didn’t know who she was.’ She said, ‘Well, she’s come back this morning and left a big parcel for you and to see if, you know if you actually had help.’ I said, ‘Oh, well I don’t know her.’ She said, ‘Well, neither do I but she has.’ Anyway, I took the parcel. When I got home there was loads of clothes for Robert. Oh, I was so pleased and they were his size. And then I think it was about three days later the Canadian Red Cross van drew up and they had brought a pram with baby clothes and everything in it. So I’d got a pram and every, everybody was so kind at that particular time it was really lovely. So we were able to get dressed. Well, Robert was [laughs] I had to wait for my mother’s left offs. It’s usually the other way around. Right.