Sheila Doe
Sheila Doe was born in Bristol in 1933, the youngest of seven children. She worked as a nurse, moving to Burwell on her marriage in 1958. Her husband’s parents ran a general store selling paint, cycles and radios on The Causeway and also a sweetshop. ‘Sweets were still on coupons and my mother in-law used to cut a sweet in half to get the correct weight on account of the points …’ Her husband’s aunt lived with them for years, dying at the age of 103. ‘She was born at Bedlam Square, beside what used to be the Congregational Church. She had a fantastic memory, she remembered the Relief of Mafeking [1900]. Her parents brought her down on to The Causeway and she vividly remembered people walking through the village with flaming torches …’
| Time | Topics described |
| 00:00:00 | Tape introduction |
| 00:00:30 | Sheila Marion Doe 8th June 1933, born Bristol |
| 00:00:45 | Earliest memories on Mildenhall RAF camp |
| 00:01:30 | Move to Lakenheath at outbreak of war 1939 |
| 00:02:00 | Earliest memories of Lakenheath house. Youngest of 8 with nickname “Shim” |
| 00:04:00 | Left Lakenheath in 1950 to start nursing |
| 00:04:15 | Fun times at very basic Lakenheath village school |
| 00:05:30 | Being punished at school for being poor at knitting |
| 00:06:15 | Left school at 15 to work in grocery shop |
| 00:07:00 | Memories of Grandmother. Her mother never made funeral in 1942 as she was scared of travel |
| 00:08:00 | Brothers and father in airforce during war |
| 00:09:00 | Plane crashes around Lakenheath, including one that hit her roof |
| 00:10:30 | Taking meals to airmen guarding plane crash sites |
| 00:11:30 | The game of tracking |
| 00:12:00 | Memories of the thrashing tackle at harvest time. Cooking eggs on shovel for steam engine |
| 00:13:15 | Stooking corn and trying to catch rabbits |
| 00:13:45 | Sledging in bad winter of 1947 |
| 00:14:30 | Memories of friends from childhood |
| 00:15:00 | Working in grocery store in Lakenheath |
| 00:16:30 | First time baker in store made donuts |
| 00:17:00 | 1949 Left Lakenheath to start nursing in Newmarket. Remembers first interview |
| 00:18:00 | Memories of 5 years of nurse training |
| 00:19:45 | Worked at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury for 3 years. Had to cycle everywhere |
| 00:20:30 | Married and moved to Burwell in 1958. Husband worked in his parents shop in Burwell |
| 00:21:15 | Comparison of nurse training then and now. Granddaughter training as a nurse now |
| 00:22:30 | Memories of working in Bury. First helicopter to land at hospital |
| 00:24:15 | Memories of Burwell shops |
| 00:25:30 | Husband worked in general store selling bicycles, radios etc. |
| 00:25:45 | Mother in law had a sweet shop and used to cut sweets in half to get exact rations |
| 00:26:45 | Private nursing in village. Two people with multiple sclerosis |
| 00:28:00 | Burwell community spirit and activities |
| 00:29:30 | First time seeing Steven’s Mill |
| 00:30:15 | Helped doing refreshments at Museum. Praise for Paul Hawes |
| 00:31:30 | Husbands aunt lived to 103 and lived with Sheila |
| 00:32:45 | Husbands great uncle, Arthur (Matey) Doe, had ice cream plant and went around village selling from a donkey and cart |
| 00:34:00 | Aunty, Florence Doe remembered the inquest after her father John Doe died on a coprolite barge in 1902 |
| 00:35:45 | Getting involved working at museum |
| 00:36:45 | Favourite parts of the museum |
| 00:38:27 | Finish |