To help in the war effort and also to make sure they had more food to eat in a time of rationing, people were encouraged to grow their own vegetables and fruit at home.

Families like the one Clementine was evacuated to would have grown things such as potatoes, green beans, carrots, peas, lettuces, cabbage, strawberries and raspberries. Herbs were also grown so lemon balm, rosemary, chives and mint were also popular plants. Why not plant your own victory garden at home? Choose a small plot, pick some easy to grow plants like lettuce and swiss chard, start your seeds off on a warm windowsill and enjoy ‘digging for victory’ with your Clementine.

What I wouldn’t give for even just a small piece of chocolate this Christmas! But it won’t all be bad I suppose. They still have get-togethers and sing-a-longs round the piano here like we used to have in London. I will put up my stocking at the end of my bed and pretend that I might get an orange in it – but I don’t think even Father Christmas can get those this year!

We have had some fun making paper chains to hang up in our room with strips of paper we’ve been saving up all year, stuck together with some flour and water paste. There was an awful lot of giggling and excitement going on whilst we stuck them together. I managed to get the flour paste on more than just the paper strips as well, which was very funny at the time but not so funny when I had to wash it all off the floor later on. I nearly missed Uncle Mac on the radio because of it!