Page 13 - Alma MacDonald - A War Bride in West Mabou

ISSUE : Issue 73

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1998/6/1

I was working for people from being about ten or eleven, babysitting, taking the kids out for them. I could scrub then as good as I can scrub today. We were sent out to help old Mrs. Coats next door, and Mrs. Lawnsdale--sent to help them with their work. There were so many girls, we would all have to help the neighbours, do jobs for them, and we didn't work for mon? ey. We didn't think anything of it, it had to be done. When I was sixteen I went away in 1939, after the war started. My brother Philip went into the army, because he was in the Territorials first. They were all trained; they were taken first thing. So the day war was declared we put up the blackout curtains, and a day or two after that we left for Keithley. I worked as a house keeper there in Yorkshire, for Lady and Lord Haggis. They had a big washing ma? chine factory, and they were well-to-do. They had big grounds, and ohhh, the size of the house, and big stables. That was my At Druker Insurance Tenants and Homeowners may qualify for a 40% dis? count. Discounts are given to non-smokers, those age 55 or more, those claim-free for three years, if you have alarms, or if your house is less than 10 years old. Call Druker Insurance to see how big a discount you deserve. And, if you agree to a $1000. deductible, your discount could be 60%. Call Druker Insurance 361 Charlotte St. Sydney 562-5504, or 1-800-661-3500 (toll free) [email protected] Mastercard or Visa first job for paying, around three pound a week. It was low any? way. You could buy a big packet of candy for two pence, every? thing was cheap. My cousin Amy and Jean were with me, they were under me. That's why I left, because they wouldn't do un? der the beds, and I got the blame for that, so I wasn't staying around there for long. So then I went and worked for Miss Paget: oh, they were lovely people, well-to-do. She'd come in every day and help you, work with you. The mother was old, a lovely old Over 100 'ears of Service - Alma Hodges MacDo? nald In uniform In Eng? land • working as a household maid and as a conductress on the double-decker buses. lady. I stayed there two years I think, and then I went to work on the buses. I always fancied working on the buses when I was at Keithley. I'd see these big dou? ble-decker buses, boy I used to think it would be grand to work on them. So I went, someone said the company (West Yorkshire Riding) were looking for bus conductresses because all the boys were in the army. You met an awful lot of people; we travelled morning, day, and night, all over York? shire. Army people, all these crazy shop? ping ladies. (Laughter.) People over there shopped day by day. They'd be so cross, trying to help them off the bus, and help them on with their shopping bags, because nobody went shopping by car, everybody went with the bus. Very few people had cars. We would collect all the tickets, then you'd have to notice where they got on at, because we had stage numbers, and John D. Steele's Sons, Limited MONUMENT CENTRE & DISPLAY 32 William Street 794-27131 NORTH SYDNEY, N. S. (after hours: 794-4411 & 794-3171) | Tj'Stan Rogers "' Mk festival * For more information calf toll-free 1-888-554-STAN (7826) email [email protected] or visit www.stanfest.com An International Festival of Songwriters July y>, 4'" & 5 • ' Canso, Nova Scotii '*

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