大象传媒

Early in September 1939 everybody knew that war with Germany was imminent and on
3 September the 'wireless' announced that hostilities had begun. I was a school boy and although I lived in Billingham I was being educated at Holy Trinity School in Yarm Lane, Stockton and our instructions were that we had to remain at home on the news of declaration of war, but another kind of news soon came through the post and a friend and I were instructed to attend a school on Monday mornings where we were laden with a mass of homework which had to be completed and handed in the following Monday morning. This system persisted for the length of the Phoney War but gradually as far as scholars were affected things returned to normal. We still played football and cricket in Ropner Park, marching to and from the ground. Later school dinners were introduced and proved to be of very good quality.

I can recall hearing enemy bombs and the sound of bombs falling perhaps accompanied by anti aircraft fire and machine guns from our fighters. Summer holidays were spent at nearby villages, eg Osmotherly.

The aerodrome at Thornaby was established and used, I believe, by coastal command. The war progressed. My sister was called up to the ATS in 1942 and served with the 3rd Airborne Division as a telephone operator,lost a lot of friends at Arnhem and was sent towards the end of the conflict to 'Palestine' and was lucky in that 'billet', the King David Hotel in Jerusalem was blown up the day after her departure.

Upon events following my sister's death I found a letter written from Jerusalem describing an open air carol service which was held in 'the Field of Shepherds' by the light of a huge bonfire. She came home in 1944 and immediately joined the Territorial Armyfrom where she retired as a Captian.

In World War I, my father and three of his brothers all joined the Royal Cycling Corps. He was sent to the Midddle East then on to Arabia, followed Allenby to Damascus, but like many of his comrades was struck down with malaria and hospitalised in Scotland, but was sent later to Mesopatania with a repetition of his medical conditions, but he did go to Damascus with Allenby's forces and actually caught sight of Lawrence of Arabia who he described as a very small man.

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