大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Helen Avey of the 大象传媒 London Team on behalf of Frederick Green and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was born the third son to William and Isabelle Green on the 10th February 1931 in Redhill Surrey; my father was a stonemason working for Stoneman's the undertaker when war broke out.

Being a man born in May 1900 he had served his country in the Rifle brigade, and decided that it would be better for him to help his country by involving himself in war work.

Dad was trained as a commercial miller at a Vickers Armstrong factory somewhere in the Mitcham area of Surrey, also the fact he was on permanent night work, naturally he had lodgings near his workplace. My mother was not happy with this arrangement having three boys and a girl to look after, so in the latter part of 1940 we moved to Croydon.

After leaving the beautiful countryside of Redhill; Croydon came as a bit of a shock to everybody. We moved into 49 Nova Road, West Croydon, very little back garden and nowhere to play, but soon this was all to change. Living so close to Kenley, Biggin Hill and Croydon airdromes things began to hot up a little; we couldn't be bored watching the vapour trails of the fighter aircraft drawing patterns in the sky, as the aircraft fought for supremacy. After the all clear we would roam the streets looking for any pieces of shrapnel that could be found. We saw German fighters at very close range, especially when the fighting was completely overhead and bullets landed in the High Street.

After a while my parents decided it would be better for my sister and I to be evacuated - Maureen went to Smethwick in the Midlands, whilst I went with a school friend Gerald to Stonegate Avenue, Stonegate, Leicester. What luck we had, waiting with all the other children Mr and Mrs Knight selected us to stay with them.

Little did we know just how lucky we were, when we arrived at their house - a magnificent detached house - to a boy of 11 and coming from Croydon it looked like a mansion, asked to take off our shoes and enter the house, then showed to our room, it was obviously the guest room with a magnificent double bed which we were told we would have to share. After being shown where to put our clothes we were told under no circumstances were we to open the door of the wardrobe!

The next day we were taken into the City of Leicester where Mr. Knight owned very upmarket men's outfitters. As we entered, everybody stood to attention and were told to fit these two boys out with all the clothing they required (Now you must remember we were a couple of years into the war, and everything including clothing was on rations). I supposed we both looked like little Lord Fonteroy's, it stayed with me for the rest of my life, and I realised that even with a poor education money can buy everything.

We dressed well and we also ate well, in fact Mrs Knight showed us a dustbin full of pickled eggs that we would have with our bacon each morning - where did the bacon come from? Well that was in the wardrobe of our room, when we first arrived at the house and like all boys told not to do something, we had to explore and find out what was in the wardrobe Gerald and I thought at first it was a body.

About eight months after we arrived in Leicester, the German's decided to drop land mines, in fact one day we were told not to go to school via our normal route because a land mine was hanging from an oak tree about 200 yards from the house.

I was never worried about my parents living in Croydon at this time, and we wrote letters to each other, but when that land mine arrived, I decided that if I were to die I would prefer to be with my mum and dad and my brothers. Naturally Mr and Mrs Knight tried to talk me out of it, but my mind was made up - I wanted to go home.

Arriving back in Croydon, I had to return to some kind of schooling. My eldest brother, Bill, being called up and joined the Coldstream Guards at Caterham Barracks, and I for my part returned with my brother Bob back to Tavistock Senior boy's school (Bill and Bob were never evacuated). I spent just under two years at Tavistock School and at Easter of 1945 at the tender age of 14 - and not very worldly wise - I left school and was directed to a job at the Surrey Timber factory on war

work.

Just after the war in Europe ended, I was permitted to change my job. What a change - I became a shop assistant, working in Pearks Store, Cherry Orchard Road, East Croydon. Now you must remember everything was still on rations, and up to this point Mum had always signed our ration books to the South Suburban Co-operative Society opposite the Croydon General Hospital. Working in the shop I saw how the food was prepared for the customers, having to put sides of bacon into vinegar water to get the maggots out of it before selling it to the customers. Weighing up the butter and cheese rations, there wasn't a lot. Some people had a sweet tooth and would like extra butter or margarine for the sugar, quite a lot of extra were put into some of the ladies that the manager liked, naturally he would always offer to take a little more to their home if they required it! Still not happy with my life and changed my employment a couple of times until my father accepted my request.

Having lived through the war and with both my brothers in the services I begged my father to let me join up. Fortunately for me in August 1948 my father signed the forms that permitted me to join the Royal Air Force as a Telegraphist and then go back to school and then life really began.

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