大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Alison Tebbutt of the Derby CSV Action Desk on behalf of Elaine Smith and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

We didn't need an air-raid shelter. Our house was on a hillside, and we would use the coal shed as our shelter. The dog used to sit and eat the coal. I was very yound during the war. It was just a part of life. I still remember when I first realised the seriousness of the situation. I was stood with my ear up to the wireless. As I was listening I realised-my daddy was there.
My dad came back sometimes on leave. He would worry about makng the dog bark and wake everyone up. So he used to stand throwing pebbles up to the third floor windows.
He was a very shy man. I get the feeling he actually enjoyed his time in the war. He wasn't a very social man, but I think he enjoyed the comradeship of the war. There was a genuine feeling in those days. Everyone looked out for each other. People were a lot less selfish.
Our dog used to know there would be an air-raid before anyone. He would start panting and my grandma, who looked after me as my mother was working would cry out 'the dog is panting, there is an air-raid coming!'

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