大象传媒

May 8th 1941 Sheffield

In 1941 at the height of the blitz my father was away in the RAF. I was alone with my mother awaiting the birth of her baby. I knew all about where babies came from, as at 9 years of age I was her constant companion. In my siren suit pocket I had 4 pennies, two to phone the district nurse and two to contact my father.

Outside the raid was raging and that night we didn鈥檛 get into our Anderson as usual. My mother was walking the kitchen and making small groans now and again. When she told me that the baby was coming I was like a greyhound out of a trap. This was the moment I had been waiting for. You will have to go now Shirley, she said, I can鈥檛 wait any longer. So I was off out into the air raid. I could see the searchlights crisscrossing the sky and hear the drone of the planes. Ack ack guns added to the noise as I made my way up Crummock Hill. Crummock Hill was littered with incendiaries. The grocers shop at the top had thrown out precious bags of flour to put them out. I had to wend my way between them to reach the phone. Then, just as my hour arrived, a voice boomed out, just where do you think you are going little girl? This was the air raid warden. I told him my story and he took me into the communal shelter where a hundred eyes stared at me. My mother never went into that shelter, she hated crowds, so we were alone in an Anderson night after night. The warden asked someone to go back with me and it was a little while before anyone moved. Then, eventually one brave woman, a Mrs Thompson, took my hand. After all that learning to use the telephone and waiting for my big moment, it was taken from me. I was so angry. My sister was born with only Mrs Thompson and me in attendance. The district nurse refused to come until the all clear. My father was refused leave and so went A.W.O.L. but was only home a matter of hours before the police came and took him away. Our pay was stopped for six weeks and he was put under arrest. It was of course desertion and could have been a court martial. We relied on the kindness of friends and relatives to feed us and I became a second mother to my sister.

She now lives in the U.S.A. and I haven鈥檛 seen her for forty years.

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