大象传媒

At the beginning of the war Joan, aged 24, lived in Kent where it was quite dangerous due to bombs dropping. She moved to Surrey where it was much safer. From around 1940 onwards bombs were dropping all around London. She had two sisters who were in the Womans Air Force. She did not work from 1940 until a law came in that people had to have jobs at a certain age. Joan worked in a childrens home, looking after children everyday,which she enjoyed very much. She left Surrey with her husband and moved to Devon where they were safe from the war. Joan only heard about Dunkirk by listening to the news on the radio. She told us that rationing was very tight, everything interesting that people wanted was rationed into very small amounts. The type of things rationed were tea, butter and coffee. Joan didn't lose anyone in the war.At the end of the warb she didn't have a job as she had a child. Joan told us that the air raid shelters were horrible and quite uncomfortable!Lukily for Joan she was an officers wife so she got a separate bunk with her husband, whereas everyone else was all crammed in to a small space. It was cold and boards were used for beds. The blackouts were also horrible, if you were indoors you had to make sure all the windows were boarded up and if you were outdoors you were not allowed lights at all. Joan knew alot of people that were evacuated from the south coast to the midlands. Joan recalls every day seeming to be the same, kind of drifting into one another. When we asked if she believed it was right to go to war. Joan replied "Yes" because Hitler was riding over everyone and he had to be stopped. In 1940 he was unbearable and he threatened to land on the south coast. The british forces wer very strong and determined. Joan remembers all the men on the beaches of Dunkirk waiting to be collected. By the end of the war Joan had a son and a daughter. She remembers great excitement everywhere when the war ended and she went out and celabrated while her husband looked after the baby. Her most terrifying experience were the air raid sirens going off.

By Ryan and Natassia

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