大象传媒

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This contribution to WW2 People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk. The story has been written and submitted to the website by Rosalie Davis Gibb (Volunteer Story Gatherer) with the full permission and on behalf of Florence Carter.

When the sirens went on 3rd September 1939 we all ran into the street not knowing what to do. I was 19陆 and, along with everyone else, had laughed when the man over the road built a shelter in 1938. But not that day - everybody in the street ran into his shelter leaving barely enough room for the poor man himself. After the all-clear, we all went home and life went on. Soon the raids started to come. The shelters hadn鈥檛 been put up so we took cover under the table.

In the meantime I鈥檇 married a soldier I used to work with. He was now in the Middlesex Regiment. I was now 20陆 and as I was 7 months pregnant it was hard to get under the table. There was Mum, Dad and our big Chow dog. As I was the last one struggling to get under it was a bit of a laugh. But my baby was born dead. I suppose it was the fright and getting under the table. I went back to work doing plates for the planes to take photos, which I enjoyed. Then the doodlebugs started, but by then everybody had a shelter, although they were not much good. We didn鈥檛 know the doodlebugs were coming until the noise of the engine stopped and then there was the worry of where it would drop. After a while I had a lovely baby boy and life went on. Rationing came and many a time I queued up 2 hours for 4 sausage rolls for me, Mum and Dad for dinner.

Then the awful V2 rockets came, which you didn鈥檛 hear until they exploded. One night we went upstairs to bed and my baby, who was about 15 months old, was very restless, so I took him in my bed. It was a good job I did as about 4 in the morning I heard a terrible crash and screams and woke up looking at the sky. We were under the debris on the ground floor. My baby鈥檚 cot was smashed to pieces and I still had him in my arms. Mum and Dad were crying out, Dad was under the wardrobe but I just don鈥檛 know how we were saved. The Wardens shouted to stay where we were. I couldn鈥檛 have moved if I鈥檇 tried, but my baby was safe. It took a long while to get us all out and we went to a rest centre for a time. Until this day I can鈥檛 go in a dark crowded place.

We were re-housed in a very big house in the centre of town. I went back to work and Mum minded my little boy. A lot of nice American chaps used to go to a pub at the bottom of our road. My Mum used to say to me 鈥淒on鈥檛 you dare go down the road where them Americans are, go round the other way鈥�. But the funny bit was when I took my little boy out she used to say 鈥淭ake Michael down the road where the Americans are they will probably give him some sweets鈥� which gave us a laugh.

The war went on and these are just a few of my experiences. I have done my life story for the Docklands Museum. I hope I haven鈥檛 gone on too long as there鈥檚 lots more. Thank you for reading this whoever does.

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