大象传媒

From the age of about three and a half years, family moved from Kings Heath to 343 Sarehole Road, Hall Green, Birmingham which was a great move for my parents 鈥� my father had been a master baker but, after contracting bakers鈥� dermatitis, was obliged to change his work. He became a bus driver, working from Yardley Wood Garage, Birmingham. Of course this job kept him from call-up into the forces.

Had a very happy life here, learning to garden with my dad and meeting my friends across the road whose back gardens went down through fields to the River Cole. We played there for many happy days and have kept in touch ever since.

1939 鈥� Outbreak of World War 2

We heard the news that we were going to war with Germany.
Maybe it was that that same night that heavy planes flew directly over our house, seeming to shake the buildings!
Soon we were to hear the anti-aircraft gun, based in Swanshurst Park, fire across our house too, apparently practising shooting the bombers which would, in time, endeavour to bomb the ammunition and food trains travelling on the G.W.R. line which was atop the bank at the end of our garden. We did have several bombs near the railway, but luckily no-one was hurt.

Anderson Shelters were recommended and my father dug the pit for the base near the top of the garden and erected the shelter. We were to use this for many months 鈥� each night when raids were imminent my mother would make the cocoa, dress us in nightclothes, and attempt to hurry us into the shelter, especially when the sirens had sounded and we could hear heavy aircraft.. A couple of bombs did drop quite close to us, showering the shelter with soil but we were not hurt.

My aunt was a bus conductress whose job was to be on the 3 a.m. bus, collecting the drivers and conductors for the early shift, to man the buses getting the workers to the ammunition factories.
Many times they were forced to leave the vehicle and take cover behind walls of buildings to avoid the bombs and stray shells.

As the war drew on my mother and father became air-raid wardens, issued with tin hats and whistles, but my mother never actually went outside in her hat. I wore it on several nights, standing in the garden with Dad, watching the explosions 鈥� particularly the night they destroyed the B.S.A. factory in Birmingham 鈥� what a blaze that was! I never worried about shrapnel 鈥� until I later saw some 鈥� jagged pieces of metal which could have ripped through the body at any time!

We continued school, of course, - my two older brothers and myself, walking the mile to school each morning, - back at lunchtime, and then again in the afternoon. No school buses then and our parents had no car to ferry us around.

There were severe hardships, particularly more so for our parents. The water mains near to us were blown up at one stage, and we then had to walk nearly one mile to a standpipe to fetch water for the household. Rainwater could be used for washing, but mains water was considered safer for cooking and drinking. We didn鈥檛 know much about filters then!

After some months it was decided we should be evacuated 鈥� at least the younger of the two boys and myself 鈥� to Loughborough in Leicestershire. We were separated and, whilst my brother had a lovely home with a couple he liked and contacted throughout their lives, I was with people I did not like and yearned to be home again. I don鈥檛 remember how long I was away but I do know how glad I was to be back home again.

Rations were a problem for my mother 鈥� the three children squabbled so much about rations that my mother was forced to buy three butter dishes and three sugar bowls to contain each child鈥檚 ration. Let us even dare to touch another鈥檚 ration!! Oranges were in the shops rarely and my mother had to queue to get them 鈥� bananas were never seen. Not, that is, until nearer the end of the war 鈥� I remember being at a birthday party where the older brother of the 鈥榩arty girl鈥� had been in the navy and had returned home with bananas. One banana was shared between all of us at the party! On another occasion whilst playing with a little boy friend in our street, we came upon a chest in his dad鈥檚 shed, which contained quite a lot of tinned goods. We opened a tin of sweetened condensed milk and, with two spoons, polished off the lot!

Some foods did not seem to be a great problem in our household 鈥� my father was a superb gardener and provided most of the fruit and vegetables we needed 鈥� even the 鈥渕eat鈥� in between the cabbage leaves! Ugh! However, I realised later in life how difficult it had been for my mother 鈥� dried milk, dried potato, and all those W.I. wartime recipes!

Clothing and furniture were rationed too 鈥� coupons were needed for both and were in short supply. Of course one could always 鈥榖arter鈥� with people who did not use all of their coupons!
Luckily my mother was a good needlewoman and we were never short of decent clothes to wear.

We had no holidays to speak of during the early part of the war 鈥� later when my father could borrow a car we went to Malvern Hills for a week in the Summer 鈥� having fun sliding down the
hills on a tin tray and then collecting blackberries for the landlady to make a 鈥渟ummer pudding鈥�.(I didn鈥檛 see the seaside until I was fifteen years old)

I don鈥檛 remember the Yanks being around in our district 鈥� I only met them during a brief visit to North Wales 鈥攑erhaps they were in Birmingham town, but I was not old enough to be interested!

My father was drafted into the Home Guard and I think his unit was based on the bus garage. He never handled a gun in the whole of the war 鈥� they drilled with broomsticks! Goodness knows what would have happened in the event of invasion!

At the end of the war in Germany we celebrated V-E Day with a massive street party 鈥� music and dancing in streets dressed with flags and bunting.

But, of course, the war in the Far East continued for some time. V-J Day eventually arrived and we partied again with gusto!

At this time I was just old enough to go out dancing and my friends and I attended the dances at the Cateswell Barracks in Hall Green in Birmingham. The first night, when we arrived, there was a tank in the middle of the hall and that had to be removed before we could begin the dancing.

For youngsters in our area, where little damage had been inflicted, the war had been a time of excitement but I realised later how tough it had been for our parents. Even more so for those parents who had served in the forces, many of whom lost their lives.

It is only as one grows older and learns about the horrors of war that we can say 鈥渢his should never happen again鈥�. It was to be 鈥渢he war to end all wars鈥� but that was reckoning without the nature of the human race!

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Rose Parish of the CSV Action Desk at 大象传媒 Hereford and Worcester on behalf of June Evans and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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