- Contributed by听
- 大象传媒 Open Centre, Hull
- People in story:听
- Cora Stephenson and Gladys Russell.
- Location of story:听
- Hull, E. Yorks.
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A8047307
- Contributed on:听
- 26 December 2005
Cora Stephenson's account was passed to Denis Price of the 大象传媒 People's War Team, the 大象传媒 Open Centre, Hull.
I was sixteen in 1940 and my one passion in life was dancing. We lived down Withernsea Street , Stoneferry at that time and I used to walk to the Dansom Lane Youth Club to join my friend ,Gladys Russell who lived with her mother down Lorraine Street. the Club usually had a dance on with piano and drums as backing which for the time still allowed us to enjoy ourselves.
Gladys always seemed to have a problem with one of the soles on her dance shoes so when we had a break we would take our well chewed PK chewing gum from our mouths and stick Gladys's shoe back together again wit it. Needless to say, all her dance partners finished up with chewing gum stuck on their trousers bottoms or their shoes. Gladys had a terrific sense of humour which is why I liked her, nothing ever seemed to bother her.
When the 'buzzers' went for a raid, as we were upstairs dancing we had to run to the Dansom Lane Air Raid Shelter which was on the public playground so we'd play on the swings until we heard the engine's of the 'jerry' aircraft then we'd rush into the shelter. We all had our own personal candles in our handbags which we'd light up when we got inside.
One night after a raid Gladys went home to discover that their house had been totally destroyed so she stayed with us for a few days. Eventually her mother was given a house on Preston Road, these were houses set aside for families who'd had their own destroyed. Later during another raid this house was also hit and we learned that Gladys had been injured. My mam helped me contact all the hospitals but there was no record of Gladys as a patient. Later we found out that the ambulance taking her to hospital had received a direct hit, nothing was ever found of the occupants. What happened to Gladys has always remained with me as it was such a personal loss, like a family member, such a waste.
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