The History of Ruddington Depot
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Wartime Operations
At the end of the shift
In winter it was dark when the shifts ended at 10.00pm and 7.00pm, so the journey home had to be made in the blackout. Helena Giblenn`s eldest sister had to walk about a mile to reach her home.
“She was 19 and I was ten years younger, but I remember she was very, very scared when she had to walk to work, or back again, in the dark, because one night she fell over a drunk in the village. That was very unnerving for her”.
Each shift ended where it began, in the changing room. Lilian Slack recalls,
“They did all the laundry. You left the things you’d been wearing over on the other side before you changed into your own things. You left all your overalls, trousers – everything.”
Margaret Stapleford, like everyone else, was eager to be off:
“We didn’t have showers… just washed our hands basically and got changed into our own clothes”.
The Story > Chapter 3 > Section 3.11