大象传媒

I was 19 years old when war was declared against Germany in 1939.
At that time I worked in a chocolate factory in Leeds. Well, chocolate was not needed - we couldn't get the ingredients for the chocolate and we were needed to do more important work.
A man from the Labour Exchange came into the factory and directed us to an engineering training school. We had no choice we had to go wherever we were directed. After a few weeks I started work in an Engineering Works. It was a huge place, very cold and very noisy with many lathes each making different parts for anti-aircraft guns that would be used to defend us against enemy aircraft - very different to making chocolates! I wore clogs and an overall, no trousers (women didn't wear trousers in those days). I was the only girl in that department so I had a nice lot of attention. I worked in the brass corner, making small rings for the Boffer guns.
I had to travel 9 miles by train, then a short tram ride to the engineering works and be at work for 7.30 am. I wasn't used to having to use the trams.
At this time I used to sleep at my grandmother's (Elizabeth Capell) as company for her so I had to leave her house to go home to get ready for work at 6.30 am making a fire up for her before I left. The fire had a side boiler that would be filled with cold water and heated by the fire and we would have a ladle to scoop out the water with when it was heated. If there was an air-raid during the night my grandmother would leave the house until she was fully dressed. This included her button boots, corset, long black skirt and full length blue checked apron.
We did get a lot of air-raids as we were near to Church Fenton (aerodrome)and Barmbow where there was a bomb factory. The German bombers would follow the train (they could see the fire).
The air-raid shelter was a building specially made to protect us from bombs dropped from enemy aircraft. There were people from 10 houses sharing the one shelter. It was a squash and often quite smelly (some people were strangers to soap and water).

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