大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Helen Avey of the 大象传媒 London Team on behalf of Maud Joan Blake and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

When the War started in 1939 I was 15 and a half - too old to be evacuated but not old enough to be 'Called up'. I lived with my Mum and Dad and a younger Sister born in 1930. My Dad, who had served in the First World War and was wounded twice, felt it best for her to be evacuated, although at 8 years old and coming from a happy home, she never quite forgave them for sending her away. As for myself I had been at work for about three months and was a shorthand typist in an office at Victoria after completing a commercial course at North Hammersmith Central School for four years. By 1939 we had been living in Shepherds Bush for about 11 years. Our parent's early married life had not been easy. They lost their first home in Westminster, which was just behind the Tate Gallery when the Thames broke its banks in 1928 causing death and destruction for many miles. We were rescued but neighbours who were in houses with bars at the window were drowned. Having lost everything parents were given a house on the Wormholt Estate, which has just been built by the L.C.C. I was 4 at the time. Dad was a book-keeper and he was never without a job - in fact he remained with the same firm until his retirement at the age of 65. Life took a turn for the better for our little family. We lived opposite Wormholt Park which had tennis courts and a bowling green and close by was Bloemfontein Road Open Air Swimming Pool, Queens Park Rangers Football Club and the White City Stadium and Dog Track and several great schools within walking distance.

Then suddenly everything changed again. The Park was churned up to make trenches and later in the War the Swimming Pool was used to keep the bodies of air raid victims. My Mum came from a family of nine - four girls and five boys. One of the boys was in the regular Army in the Royal Horse Artillery and the other four had joined the Territorial Army and were all called up at the beginning of the War, the youngest was only 16. Although serving in most of the battles of the war they all came through without a scratch, for which everyone was grateful.

Before the heavy raids started we went about our normal tasks and enjoyed such pleasures as were available to us. Ice-skating was one at the Empress Hall Ice Rink, going to the pictures with Mum and writing to my Uncles in different parts of the world. We also managed to get to see my Grandparents who had retired near Southend at holiday times.

Then in 1940 came the bombs. We had a very long garden but were not issued with an Anderson shelter, we had to purchase a Morrison shelter, which acted as our table for the rest of the war taking up most of the living room and causing many bruises as they were made out of iron. The principal user of this shelter was our budgerigar who was always placed under the table when we went to the shelter during the raids. (Incidentally the budgies survived the war and lived until he was 10. Quite a record. During the war bird seed was scarce and my Dad had to pay 拢1 for a pound of seed.) When the raids started in 1940 we would go to bed as usual and, when the sirens went, we would dress in double quick time - always keeping trousers, top coat, blankets and a bottle of water by the side of the bed complete with gas mask and torch. We would then make our way to the trenches. I think it must have been Dad's experiences in the First World War because he always considered these trenches to be the safest places, and strangely enough they did give you a strong sense of security. At the beginning there were no amenities in these trenches, just wooden benches and a few curtained chemical toilets. My parents used to sleep on the benches and I slept on the concrete floor underneath. A little later they did install wooden bunks on two levels and kept us healthy with a good supply of Brompton lozenges. (When it became impossible to obtain sweets I took to purchasing a tin of Gees Linctus nearly every day and ate them disregarding the words 'It is dangerous to exceed the stated dose', but I never seemed to have any ill effects). You always went to a certain entrance and stayed with the same people throughout the raids and many long-lasting friendships developed despite the miserable surroundings. Despite these hardships we used to have a lot of laughs and we would sing to the accompaniment of a banjo. Gradually canteens were set up where you could by tea and pies etc. We also had a very enterprising fish shop close by and the proprietor, Mr. Mason and his daughter would brave the raids to bring fish and chips for sale. They were always hot and very much appreciated.

It was in this shelter that I met my future Husband, Chas, when we were both 16. We found out later that I had been born in Lambeth Hospital just a few hundred yards from where he was living in West Square near the War Museum. He had one younger sister and sadly his Father died in 1928 as a result of being gassed in the First World War. His Mother became very ill and was unable to bring them up so they both went into L.C.C. care where they remained until 1939. The L.C.C. found Chas lodgings in Shepherds Bush with friends we had made in the shelter. By then he was an apprentice engineer with the Metal Box Company at Acton. One night he brought our friends over a jug of tea and we struck up a friendship. He was on war work which entailed very long hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. plus fire watching duties. From then he would come over the shelter whenever there was a raid but never stopped there usually being sent off by my parents around 11 o'clock. When I reached 18 I was drafted to work in a Government Office - the India and Burma Office in King Charles Street, Whitehall. Our office overlooked St. James' Park and despite the war it was one of those most interesting times of my life. Naturally I had plenty of scary moments when the buzz bombs started and you sometimes watched the progress of the bombs across the Park from the corner of one eye while taking shorthand from my boss who never showed any emotion - however close they came.

We became engaged on my 21st birthday - the 12.3. 45. - but then it was Chas' turn to be called up, just before the Japanese war was coming to a close. He was then sent to Gibraltar for a year, given a Demob number of 65 and it wasn't until 1948 that he came out of the Army. We married later that year. Our separation came just as everyone else was being reunited but we did consider ourselves very lucky to have been together during the war, not to have lost any of our family, friends not our home. Our only daughter was born in 1955 and now, in our early 80s we have two Grandchildren - Lucy 14 and Toby 9.

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