“When I Was a Child”: Childhood Memories from the Cambridgeshire Fens

A collection of personal recollections of childhood, drawn from contributors connected with the Fenland Friday Group, describing everyday life, school, family and growing up in the Cambridgeshire Fens

“When I Was a Child”

This collection brings together personal recollections of childhood from a range of contributors associated with the Fenland Friday Group, a group dedicated to exploring and sharing local history.

The accounts describe:

• Early childhood experiences
• Family life
• Schooling
• Work and play
• Wartime memories

(see contents and introduction pages)

 

 

1. Collecting childhood memories

The project emerged from weekly meetings in Ely where participants were encouraged to write about their own childhood experiences.

Contributors came from:

• Fenland villages
• Other parts of England
• Occasionally abroad

This creates a varied but connected set of perspectives.

2. Childhood in the countryside

Some accounts describe growing up in rural Fenland environments.

Experiences include:

• Living closely with animals
• Farm work and responsibilities
• Strong connections to the natural world

One contributor recalls:

• caring for animals from an early age
• distinguishing between “working animals” and pets

(see early chapters)

3. Domestic life and hardship

Many memories describe:

• Limited household resources
• Manual labour in the home
• Cold winters and basic heating

Examples include:

• boiling water for washing
• coal fires and inefficient heating
• shared bedrooms and simple furnishings

(see Margaret Bate’s account, page 8)

4. School life

School experiences were often strict and formal.

Accounts describe:

• Walking long distances to school
• Writing on slates before using ink
• Strong discipline and structured routines

School buildings were often:

• cold
• basic
• lacking modern facilities

(see pages 9–13)

5. War and childhood

For many contributors, childhood was shaped by the Second World War.

Memories include:

• Air raid warnings
• Bomb damage
• Use of shelters

One vivid account recalls:

• watching a bomb fall across the Channel
• hiding in shelters during raids

(see Norah Ashton’s account, page 11)

6. Play and imagination

Despite hardship, childhood included rich forms of play.

Activities included:

• Outdoor games
• Improvised toys
• Exploring local environments

Children often created entertainment using:

• found materials
• imagination
• shared games

(see pages 13–14)

7. Shopping and everyday life

Daily life involved routines very different from today.

Examples include:

• Small local shops
• Rationing during wartime
• Home food production

One account describes:

• carefully measured goods
• ration books
• the sensory experience of grocers’ shops

(see Irene Abrahams’ account, pages 15–17)

8. Transport and mobility

Travel was limited and often slow.

Memories include:

• horse-drawn transport
• early buses
• walking as the main mode of travel

Even short journeys could be significant events.

9. Community and social life

Village and town life was strongly communal.

Children experienced:

• close-knit neighbourhoods
• shared public spaces
• regular social interaction

Despite material hardship, many recall:

a strong sense of belonging

10. Change over time

Across the collection, contributors reflect on:

• how much life has changed
• the loss of certain traditions
• improvements in comfort and convenience

The accounts provide a valuable comparison between:

• early twentieth-century childhood
  and
• modern experience