Official histories and period documents tend to tell the official history. Often this is a necessity, as what people want is a clear story – ‘he said, she said, the consequence was’ – but the reality often isn’t that straightforward. And what can be lost is the individual experience, which may not entirely fit the standard narrative, and which may include a range of topics rather than just one incident or event per book. So in this section, I intend to use verbatim accounts and snippets to give a flavour of different peoples’ experiences of wartime Guiding.
I firstly want to focus on a small logbook. I obtained it on an online auction site, and I know nothing of it’s background beyond what it itself discloses. In the inside cover it is titled:
Vera A. Craig
Queen Mary School Service Club
Record Book
I don’t know where Queen Mary School was, although from the information given it might be in Lytham St Annes – or what age Vera was, although it is implied that she might be in the mid-teens – a Patrol Leader at Guides, and old enough to do professional work in the school holidays – but not in the Sixth form at school. And the logbook stops suddenly, again we don’t know why. It is a homemade hardcover book, with homemade metal rings, a hessian cover with tartan-paper corners. But the content is fascinating, so I produce it verbatim below, including the hand-drawn illustrations from it.
Nov 14th 1942
16th Monday – Meeting
First meeting of Queen Mary School Youth Club.
Firefighting Section – 1st hour.
Divided into teams of four. Learned use & working of stirrup pump also elementary commands. We did some exercises, taking turns to be the various numbers. No.1 takes command and gives the orders. No.2 does the pumping and 3&4 carry buckets of water. The commands are “Get Ready” – buckets & pump are picked up. “Buckets Down” “Water On” “Tighten Hose” “Water Off” “Cock Off” and “Make Up”. We had to imagine we had water during the exercises, as we were in the domestic science room. Next week we hope to be able to go outside and practice properly.
Craftwork Section – 2nd Hour
The next hour was spent in the Lecture Theatre where Miss Wroe showed us some patterns for dolls and gave us a few hints on how to make them. Each girl received some material and a pattern and made a doll during the week ready for the next meeting. I made a brown Teddy Bear. The toys made are to be sent to a children’s home for Christmas.
17th Tuesday – Set the tea. Helped with washing up.
18th Wednesday – Guide Meeting at which I taught 3 girls their second class knots.
19th Thursday – Laid the table for breakfast. Laid the table for tea. Continued sewing the teddy bear. Went for the street group savings stamps.
20th Friday – Court of Honour. Continued sewing ‘skin’ of teddy bear.
21st Saturday – Helped with shopping in the morning. Laid the lunch table and helped with washing up. Turned the beds and cleaned my room, stuffed and finished Teddy bear in afternoon and made the tea.
22nd Sunday – Made the breakfast and gave Mum & Granny theirs in bed. Did the washing up and made the beds. Set the lounge fire & tidied up the house. Made the tea and did the washing up. Filled Mum’s hot water bottle.
23rd Monday – Meeting
Firefighting – Tonight we had a practice in the senior court using water. Still in teams of four we learned to use the jet & the spray, and also how to change over at the pump. This took place in the dark.
Craftwork – Returned finished Teddy bear and obtained materials for a tweed horse. This meeting was in the domestic science room and we used the sewing machines in groups while others cut out patterns for horses and attractive little men in coloured felt.
24th Tuesday – Helped with the tea.
25th Wednesday – Guide Meeting.
26th Thursday – Laid the breakfast table
27th Friday – Acted as a patient in a First Aid practice with Dr Johnson’s Mobile Unit.
28th Saturday – Helped with the breakfast. Turned the beds and cleaned my bedroom. Swept & dusted the lounge and dusted the dining-room. Helped with shopping in morning and continued sewing toy horse in afternoon.
29th Sunday – Made the breakfast and gave Mum & Gran breakfast in bed. Washed the dishes, set the lounge fire and made the beds. Made the tea and helped with washing up.
30th Monday – As it is exam week there is no meeting tonight. Set the tea.
1 Dec. Tuesday – Helped a mistress with exam lists.
2nd Wednesday – Helped with tea.
3rd Thursday – Made the tea and did the washing up.
4th Friday – Laid the breakfast. Kept a friend for the night as she was unable to go home to Blackpool.
5th Saturday – Did the shopping. Helped with the breakfast and made the beds. Helped with early lunch. Laid the table for tea.
6th Sunday – Church Parade. Made the breakfast and gave Mum & Gran theirs in bed. Made the tea.
7th Monday – Meeting. Firefighting. Tonight we had a very interesting talk by Mr Major, Chief Fire Guard for the District. He showed us diagrams of many different forms of incendiary bomb, amongst which were the Chandelier Bomb & the Anti-Personnel Incendiary Bomb & the Oil Bomb.
The anti-personnel bomb has a highly inflammable magnesium case which is filled with Thermite. This burns at 2300c & the case at 1600c. At the front is an explosive charge which goes off in about 7 minutes after the bomb has landed & the fragments of it will penetrate doors & thin walls.
The Chandelier Bomb throws out a number of smaller incendiaries when in mid-air, thus setting fire to a large area. These bombs are dropped singly.
The Oil Bomb contains 4 gallons of oil as well as rubber & other inflammable material. It also contains 12 lbs of high explosive.
The main thing in dealing with those bombs is to keep under cover as much as possible for they nearly all carry a high explosive charge which kill outright anyone within reach.
Look for bombs from the top of a building downwards, and remember that burning roofs are very serious.
As well as these hints, Mr Major showed us the use of the stirrup pump.
Craftwork – Returned the tweed horse and started to make a pink and white striped elephant. This section was again held in the domestic science room. This week we have been asked to vote for Section Leaders.
8th Tuesday – Helped with breakfast. Set the table for tea.
9th Wednesday – Helped with chairs for Senior Speech Day which was held in the afternoon. Made the tea.
10th Thursday – Helped with the tea.
11th Friday – Helped with the tea. Stayed to wash up after Sixth Form Party.
12th Saturday – Turned the beds and swept & dusted my bedroom and the lounge. Helped with shopping. Junior Speech Day in the afternoon with which the Sixth Form were asked to help.
13th Sunday – Made the breakfast and gave Mum & Granny breakfast in bed. Washed up and laid & lit the fire in the lounge. Set the table for lunch. Made the pink & white elephant which I started last Monday. Set the tea. Finished printing one dozen Xmas cards for Granny.
14th Monday – Meeting.
Firefighting – Miss Brown gave us notes & diagrams on the German Anti-Personnel Incendiary Bomb. After this we went into the senior court to practice with the stirrup pumps, using water.
Craftwork – Returned the toy elephant. Tonight most of us were finishing off toys ready to be taken to the nursery schools.
15th Tuesday – Set the breakfast table. Helped with Tea.
16th Wednesday – Helped with tea.
Christmas Holidays
19th December – 1st January – Worked at Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Helped in the house during remainder of holiday.
1st February – Firewatched at Q.M.S.
27th February – Distributed envelopes for Aid to China Fund, in Denford Avenue. Proceeds amounted to 19/7.
20th March – Delivered circulars for Old Girls Association. Delivered envelopes for W.V.S.
25th March – Made a Chinese doll to be sold at the exhibition held in school during Aid to China Week.
Leslie's Guide War History 