大象传媒

This contribution to People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Mrs Hazel Bliss

In Stratford E15 all the family lived in one house, our Granny, Aunt Liz, Uncle Bill, Maisie, Ronnie, Harry and Joan. There were five in our family and twelve of us altogether. My Mum, Ellen Bliss was a very good tailoress and in wartime she did outwork for small factories, mostly it was for the Jews and she would have to collect and take the work back. To take the bundles on the bus would cost 6d (2.5p) so she would go on the bus and aged 8-9 years old I would have to walk with the bundles from Stratford to Aldgate. Mum never made a whole garment, it was collars, sleeves , pockets etc, never the whole piece, in that way no one was able to steal a garment.
I used to run errands for Aunt Liz, she would give me half an orange or half-penny and a cigarette, even though I was only 8-9 years old.
Dad had a horse and cart with his in-laws. He would go to work in the docks unloading Dutch cheeses from the barges, he would be gone for several days at a time. When he came home he would be asleep on the cart, the horse knew the way home.
I would go with my Brother Fred to get coke from the gas works, a barrow could be hired from the greengrocer in Angel Lane for 3d, coke was 4d a bag and a bag of coke sold for 4.5d.
One day the wheels of the barrow got stuck in the tramlines so we had to go back to the terminal to get it out. Cullum Street was a notorious place and if you had to go down there you looked to see if anyone was about, then ran like hell.
Sadly my Mum, learnt she鈥檇 lost all her family shortly after we were evacuated to Norfolk. With the exception of Joan they were all killed in air raid, the shelter had a direct hit. We found out recently that they are all buried in Chingford Mount Cemetry.
My Dad stayed on in London after we were evacuated to Norfolk and would come to see us by tram. Later he came to live with us here and we were able to rent a cottage. He worked at Earsham Mill and was in the Home Guard. My Mum lived in Earsham, nr Bungay in Suffolk for 50 years all but two days, we arrived October 18th 1940 and she died October 16th 1990. us boys stayed and married and lived in Bungay a mile up the road.
These are just some of the wartime memories of the late Terry Bliss born 8.12.1930 and sent to the 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk by his Wife, Hazel.

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