大象传媒

At 6 years old I (John Middleton 5/6/33) knew little of war. I鈥檇 heard mother tell of her older brother returning from WW1. He was in such a filthy state his mother would not let him in the front door. He had to go down the entry into the yard, where a zinc bath was provided. He was de-liced, and his tattered uniform burnt before he was allowed in the house in civvies that hung on him (due to weight loss).

However at the start of WWII we lived in a flat at the back of the hairdressers, Gilbert Road, Smethick, Birmingham. I saw this thing in the sky and went running into Mom. 鈥淢om the Germans are spying on us鈥�, I cried. Outside she looked up 鈥淚t鈥檚 alright, that鈥檚 a barrage balloon, to stop low flying planes.鈥� I later saw the balloon station in Victoria Park.
Dad was called up in 1940, when he left the house I shouted, 鈥淜ill all the Germans for us鈥�, which started Mom crying. We could not afford to stay in the flat and had to move into rooms in Antrobus Road Handsworth where we were constantly bombed and spent many nights under the stairs. When the landmines started falling, Audrey (my sister) and I were evacuated to Wellington. I stayed with a nice family, manager of Barclays bank, they had a lovely garden. Soon stray bombs fell here, Germans were after the nearby airfield at Cosford.
We were moved to Aberdare, Audrey to a postmans family, and I to a policeman鈥檚 widows house at first. I had three moves, one of which to a cottage in a dip. Audrey was there too. I remember getting deep snow, above my head and I helped dig a path in the snow to the road. The cottage was very small so I was moved to a boys hostel with a basement common room.

I loved playing in the streams and walking on Mountain Ash. I remember sitting on the hill watching Enemy/British Dogfights in the distance over what could have been Cardiff. One 1942/3 winter鈥檚 day I walked into the park and saw two younger boys with home made boats. One of the boys leaned to far and fell in; his overcoat ballooned out at the back. I ran up and tried to reach him with a twig. I saw an old man with a walking stick. 鈥淢ister Mister can I use your stick鈥� I shouted, a boys fell in. I pulled him over to the side of the pond. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 no boy they鈥檙e just a bundle of rags鈥�. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 him!鈥� 鈥淗e鈥檒l be dead by now his heads under water鈥�. He said. I had to hold his legs while he reached and pulled the lad out with his stick. He carried the boy to the park keepers hut while I carried his stick.
Next day the house mother said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the hero of the day, you helped save that boys life. You will be in the local paper today鈥�. She gave me four sweets. (The London boys used to have parcels of sweets for Xmas from the London councils, but we did not from Birmingham.)

If we collected waste paper we could get to see Flash Gordon and news reels at the Saturday matinee cinema. A paper cone of popcorn or a few sweets if you collected enough paper. I used to help an old lady in the outside market to clean up so she collected and saved cardboard and paper for me. Enough for Audrey and I to free cinema seats.

Mom came to billet in Aberdare for awhile, she had to work in the Bridgeend munitions factory, long hours standing up, then a long bus ride over Mountain Ash, often a full bus so she had to stand most times. She also worked part time in a caf茅 Saturday afternoons. Some Saturdays she would buy us a meal from her wages. So it was a rare treat to see her.
Dad was in the Army, so we never had any pocket money. I didn鈥檛 have an overcoat or jacket, only two polo neck jumpers. Meanwhile Mom used her savings to rent a house and furnish it. Ready for dads return in Birmingham.

Towards the end of the war, Birmingham was free of bombing and we were sent home. What a shock, no mountain walks, no streams or viaducts to play with or on. No free cinema matinees either.

At the top of Avondale road, on the Stratford Road, Sparkhill there were large containers for waste paper, metal pots and pans, and a very smelly one for potato, carrot, cabbage peelings, apple cores and bits of bread; Pigs swill collected twice a week, what a smell.
Mom was again in a munitions factory, Percy Road, which meant long hours including Saturdays. So we had to fend for ourselves. My friend Peter鈥檚 dad was a dustman and my savour, he scrounged things for me so with two pram axles and wheels, bits of wood and with just the aid of an army knife I made a trolley. I used it on the hill in the park. It steered too tight, the front wheels caught on the body of the trolley, so often I came to a sudden stop with many grazed knees. On the tip I found a 鈥淪un鈥� bike frame. Peter鈥檚 dad came to the rescue with old wheels and other bits and spanners. With the bike I soon found the Dingles and river Cole, Triteford Park, Earlswood lakes, and then Henley in Arden and Stratford on Avon. Great!

Having no pocket money, I told a fib about my age and did a paper round. 6d per round 1/- on a Sunday so 7/- a week = 35p today. I was able to buy new tyres, mudguards and a stamp album for 12/6. I was told off by mum for wasting money as I needed new clothes, such was life!

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