大象传媒

'This story was submitted to the People's War site by Derek Stedd and has been added to the site with his permission. The Author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

During the war I was in the Merchant Navy. I was on Atlantic Convoy - early. As war progressed I was in Mediterranean. I was involved in the landings of Sicily and we went on as far as Naples.

When we came back we got married in 1947, we knew each other when we were at school.

After the war we served six years in the RAF.

We had all in one suits, so we could be warm so we could dash to the shelter.

An aunt of mine had an incendiary bomb land in the garden and it caused her to be stone deaf because of the noise and shock.

Every friday - around our council estate, every family gave a penny a week, for a 'comfort fund'. And all the ladies knitted scarves, gloves, socks for the boys that had gone in the war.

The ladies did concerts in the church hall and the children did. Everyone paid to come and all the money went to the 'comfort fund.'

When we got married we had our wedding in the same church hall after the war had finished. We were so broke everyone helped and provided sugar and eggs and my aunt made a wedding cake for us.

We had our honeymoon on the East Coast of Bridlington with the cold of January.

Anyone who got married in the war were given a docket- wardrobe, two fireside chairs and gate leg table which we still have today.

We made chocolate cake with liquid parafin as we couldn't use butter! Rationing, we needed the butter for making our bread!

I was supposed to be an apprentice at an Engineering firm before. I gave my wrong age. I said I was seventeen and a half, when I was really sixteen and I got in the Merchant Navy. From 1939 until 1945. I managed to get awarded an ATLANTIC STAR for being in the Navy so long.

I remember the day when the first siren went, just after the war had been declared. Everyone had an airaid shelter in the garden. We had to dig a hole in the garden ourselves.

My Dad worked at a local mill just down the road, and he did fire watching, my uncle made us all siren suits.

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