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WOT - NO WATER?

   The bombing destroyed water mains, gas pipes and cut off electricity supplies.  Often there was no water and no electric and a very real danger from leaking gas pipes.  Water tankers patrolled the streets and the water companies set up emergency 'stand pipes' at the corners of streets.

   "Take these pans, Mog, I'll carry the bucket and we'll stock up with as much as we can until we get our supply back on tap."

   Mum handed me the largest pan she could find and we joined the queue of neighbours waiting for fill-ups.  When we could, we'd join the queue again for a second fill-up - sometimes the water was off for hours, sometimes days.

   Often there was barely enough water to wash with, but I suspect there were a few boys around who didn't mind that!

   We were told to use water economically and use only five inches of water when we had a bath.  Brr ... Just think of it.  A cold, unheated bathroom - barely enough water ... Sitting as low as I could, the water just about covered my knees.  In very cold weather, ice would form on the inside of the window.  I can tell you bath time didn't take long!  Would you believe it - we were even asked to share our water with on another!

   "I think it'll be safe for you to have a bath - we haven't had many raids lately."  Mum was busy trotting up and down stairs to empty the kettles of hot water into the bath.

   "That's about right."  She was estimating the regulation five inches up the side of the bath.  "Mustn't break any regulations."  I grinned - did she think someone might come into the house with a measuring tape to check it out?

   Aah, what bliss as I lowered myself into the comforting warm water.  I knew the water wouldn't remain warm for long - there was so little of it.  The trick was to have a quick soaping down, lie down and quickly turn like a corkscrew to get the soap off and scramble out into towels as quickly as possible.  Did I mention that we were scolded if the soap was left idle in the water?  When soap wore down to the tiniest piece, it was put together with other little scraps and moulded into a fresh, multicoloured bar.

   But back to my bath session.  Oh no!  There I was covered from head to toes in soap, when in the distance I could hear the moan of a siren.  My stomach did a turn - those butterflies again!  I hoped no one was watching as I streaked up the garden, my towel barely covering me, Mum following close behind with my clothes!  The precious warm water, barely covering the bottom of the bath, went to waste that day!

   There were posters everywhere reminding us:

   WASTE NOT - WANT NOT

   The Fire Service had to have lots of water at the ready and huge water tanks, a bit like above-ground swimmming pools, were built everywhere, including the empty derelict spaces left between buildings by the bombing.

 AIR-RAID AT SCHOOL

  "Do you think you should go to school today?  We had a bad night."

    

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