大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Adam Jones on behalf of Ken and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I can remember going to my Aunts who lived in Newton-le-Willows, walking through the fields to the east homes road and watching the prisoners of war being ferried in the back of military W trucks, they all wore a large square patch on there bocks so you could tell who they were.

The large munitions and goods under cover at the old Salford Dog track, what they were, no body knew, the same at Dawny Hills, Pandleton. Also the large train loads of tanks travelling through Bundle Heath sidings. I can remember to this day the cutting down of the railings at Bule Hill Park for the war effort, you can still see this evidence today on Feeles Old Road, Pendleton, God it seems like only yesterday. My recollections of the war is loads of people in the air raid shelter at the end of our street, it have been terrifying for all of us listening to the bombing, and the large guns opening up down Duchy, then listening for the all clear siren, then perhaps 2 hours of sleep.

Going picking coal out the old Pendleton Pit in really cold bitter winter, that was horrid just to keep the home fire burning. Sometimes you had to keep a look out for the police because they used to chase you off. You couldn't have a bath as the local swimming baths because they were closed because of the war. My bath was in the dolly tub in the washing water, yes in the washing water.

Monday morning going to the pawn shop with the brown parcel and getting2/6 for it, the parcel always went on the top shelf, then collecting the same parcel on Fridays.

There is a walled-in garden of memory at Agecrof Cemetery to the people of Salford who lost there lives, it's kept in Good Condition. If anyone is interested it's on the left hand side, the wall is about three feet high and the plate names everyone who died, if you enter the cemetery you will find a lovely large stone dedicated to the crew of the Lancaster that came down and crashed on Regatta Street. The crash site is still there on longley Road, that was a real bad day as we watched it crashing and on fire.

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