大象传媒

I was working as a dressmaker in London, when the war started. The firm closed down and I moved to Hayes, in Middlesex, and started working for HMV, (which is now EMI), I made coils for aircraft and radar. I worked there until I married in April 1941.

All the staff who worked at HMV, wore long white coats. When the sirens went off, the staff were expected to walk quite a distance to the air raid shelters in their white coats. We decided not to go to the shelters as we could get killed walking there, we looked so silly in our white coats. Anyone could see us. All the staff received a medal for staying on to work, when the sirens had sounded.

In 1942 my husband was called up. He joined the RAF. I was living in Southall, London and expecting our daughter at the time. Not many bombs were dropped in that area in 1942, but when they did I rushed to the house next door but one to mine, my aunts house. Five people slept under one table.

In 1939 we had an air raid, I was down in the shelter in Hanwell, 8 miles from London. A bomb dropped very close to us, it killed my friend and her family.
Another time, a bomb dropped, hitting the local sweet shop, it was completely gone and the owner was never found. Also 16 people died in a caf茅 that was bombed, all that was left was an enormous crater. A Corona lorry was blown so high it landed on top of a house. My Mum was in a shelter at the time, Dad and I were very worried, not knowing where she was. She was finally let out of the shelter after many hours.

I had 2 brothers, who were away, 1 in Egypt and 1 in France. During the D-Day landing, the lorry my brother was in sank under the water, and he almost drowned. He was in a terrible way, when he eventually came home and it took years for him to get over his time in the war. While my other brother was driving in Tripoli, he was shot in the finger and was taken back to a hospital in Egypt. While he was there, they found out he was a compositor, and the army kept him in the offices in Cairo, until the end of the war.

My husband was away for 4 years. In 1943 he spent 1 year in Reykjavik, Iceland, it was so cold the air men鈥檚 boots stuck to the floor. One night a friend was snoring so loudly after a night on the beer, he was taken, bed and all to sleep outside in the snow and ice.

He went into Italy 2 days after the surrender, to help clear up. Whilst he was there, he and the other airmen were not allowed to give the local children the food off their plates. The children were starving. Lots of children were diving into Naples bay to retrieve bread from the oil soaked water, drying it and eating it.

He then went on into Austria where he was in charge of some Rumanian refugees. Mothers were hiding their daughters as the Russians were raping the young girls. Russians destroyed houses in search of souvenirs. My husband taught English to the daughter of a well to do Rumanian family. Whilst the airmen were in Austria they organised a tea party for the children. The children didn鈥檛 know what cake was or what to do with it. A little boy sat with cake in both of his hands, an airman took a bite from one cake, then the other and handed them back to the child. The airman than went round the room helping all the children. Eventually he made himself sick.

During the war I never queued, I didn鈥檛 need to. My uncle worked for Lyons and he bought sweets home and also cake. One week it would be Madeira cake and the following week it would be fruit cake. He also brought home 2oz of tea. Lyons coffee was made from acorns. We grew all our fruit and vegetables in our own garden.

One day my aunt went shopping to the fishmongers, who was just opening up the shop shutters, my aunt asked for some fish, he said join the queue. My aunt walked to the kerb and looked round, there was no one in site. So she said to the fishmonger, there is no queue, so he said, well start one.

My daughter and I were very lucky. We were well looked after by my Mum and my aunt. When I was expecting my daughter my mother brought home winceyette dusters from the factory where she worked, which manufactured Perspex windscreens for cockpits, and I made them into nighties for Sylvia. We made all our own clothes. We bought a parachute to make underwear. Material was in good supply. Shops didn鈥檛 run short until about 1943.

My father sent parcels home to us, which contained American sweets and nylon stockings

In 1945 Selfridges had nothing for sale but wooden dogs built onto wooden blocks, my brother bought two, to give as Christmas presents that year.

I felt I lived a normal life during the war.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Jill Taylor for the CSV Action Desk at 大象传媒 Hereford and Worcester on behalf of Gwendoline Denny and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.