大象传媒

The last War broke out on my 15th Birthday, I had been riding my ponyy across Dartmoot and when I came home my Grandmother greated me with the news, addding 'You are too young for it to have any effect on you', how wrong she was. We lived on the outskirts of Plymouth and I decided agaist my parents wishes that I should not return to School but get a job - so allowing the older generation to take part in a more active war effort. I'll never forget twalking or rather stumbling through the rubble of Plymouth City Centre after the first Blitz, the dreadful smell and destruction everwhere. The Office I worked for was completely destroyed - I made my way back home again feeling totally shattered. After a while the Office was reallocated to the outskirts of Roborough - I walked there and back each day, some 3 miles in each direction, very difficult in the Black out conditions. After the first Sirens my parents had an undergroud shelter built in our garden - due to the continueing air raid Sirens and raids , I slept in the Shelter under not envioble conditions! We had no electricity or gas for weeks, my Mother cooked on our one open fire. I can remember feeling in a daze with tirdness. The throb of the aircraft going over was very frightening but we learned that if we could hear the bombs falling they were not for us that time. We were lucky in only getting unexploded bombs dropped close to our house and were evacuated to the local 'pub'while they were removed. In 1941 I met and married my husband who had come down from the
Manchester area to join the Navy- nowhite weddings in those dreadful days Coupons were borrowed from friends and family for my blue wedding outfit. The wartime recipy cake and the small amount of food available way taken to the air rais shelter overnight and we all hoped we would be alive for the Church wedding the next day. We are extremely lucky that my husband and I lived through those dreadful years to Celebrate our 6oth wedding anniversary in 2001 and hope to Celebrate our 63rd this October, I am now 80 and my husband 85.

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