大象传媒

I lived in Birmingham during the war. In September 1939 I was ten and expected to go to senior school. However due to the war I didn't go to school ata ll for six months. After that I only went part-time as we shared our building with another school. there was only one big class with only one teacher, but we mad up for it with lots of homework.

A lot of children were evacuated from Birmingham which was heavily bommbed during the war. However, many of them had soon returned home. I remember a dog fight taking place over the playground at school and the teacher coming out to get us all in to the shelter. At home I used to go under the stairs rahter than in the shelter.

I clearly remember the sky over Coventry, light up due to the bombings. Whole streets were raised to the ground. We were only young and we soon got used to it, and just carried on with our lives. As a teenager in the later years of the war we went to the pictures and dancing even though the blackout was in force.

Everything was on rationing. My grandma didn't eat sweets so she gave me her coupons. I was born in Canada and very fortunate in having relatives over there. All through the war they sent me parcels, which meant I had things like clothes which were rationed over here.

I met my husband when he was de-mobbed. They were de-mobbed in stages. He came out early, as he was an electrician, which meant he was class B.

I remember queuing a lot. If you heard a certain shop had something in you rushed down and got in the queue. As a fifteen year old I recall standing in line for make-up. We had heard that Lewis's had face powder, which was a great luxury in those days, so we went along.

We were lucky in Birmingham to have trams for transport, which didn't need petrol. Other areas weren't so lucky and had to walk or cycle everywhere.

My husband and I were married after the war ended. He had been in the D-Day invasions. I, myself, recall seeing all the armoured vehicles hading for the coast to take part in the landings, especially the American ones.

My husband served with The Royal Dragoons at Arnhem. he was only 17 when he joined up but lied about his age so they would take him. they were so desparate for men that they didn't check. His mum had a telegram to say he was "missing, presumed killed in action". He later turned up, wounded, in a Canadian Field Hospital. Their hospitals were much better than ours as there was no rationing.

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