close this bookWartime life in Hamilton
View the documentDepression
View the documentWinter Shows
View the documentWar Years
View the documentWomens Auxiliary Voluntary Corps
View the documentHilda Ross
View the documentWaikato River
View the documentCastor Bay Training Camp
View the documentHospital work
View the documentWar-time
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War-time

Remembers rationing. Didn't feel it created too much hardship in their family. Had a big vegetable and flower garden. Enjoyed sewing,

"looked round for shirts with nice tails to make underclothing for my daughter, little petticoats.....".

"not many nets (curtains) around, so I managed to get some khaki material, it was horrible, it was a net and you undyed it with clorogene...it was a soft lemony colour...feeling quite proud"

Remembers the young men she knew who went to war. Relates story of hearing the declaration of war,

"all these boys reckoned they were going to take off into the bush - they weren't going into the army, and they went and enlisted as soon as they could"

Discusses when conscription came. Most people worked for the war effort. Remembers the conscientious objectors, detention camps.

"I don't think anyone looked down on them, not in Hamilton, they were people we grew up with"

Discusses manpower and the distribution of workers.