大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War website by Liz Andrew of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Muriel Booth and added to the site with her permission.

I was 11 years old when the war started. I had been at the Crumpsall Lane Junior School in Manchester but had just started at Elementary school. We had only been there three days when the war began. We were given gas masks and labels and loaded onto double decker buses outside the school and driven to the station.

No one knew where we were going but my dad worked for the railway and he found out that we were going to Darwen. We all landed up at St George's Hall in Blackburn and then everyone from our school was put on another bus and taken out to the village of Tockholes where we were delivered to the schoolroom. I sat there with three of my friends - we were determined that we were going to stick together.

We were told we would be sent to stay with Mrs Whittle. Her house turned out to be a little cottage and we had to walk through three fields to get there. There was no bed for us when we got there but she found us some mattresses and we slept in her front room.

We used to go the village school - it was very small compared with what we were used to - there was only one classroom. We collected eggs every morning and went to bed early.There was no bath - but we managed.

Mum found out where we were and all the mums came to see us. Mine said, " You're not stopping here. You'll go up to Newcastle to your Grandma's." So I was only there for six or eight weeks.

We went to Clopwell, a pit village near Newcastle. It was never bombed and there were lots of our family round about. We used to go to the seaside at Whitley Bay, Morpeth and Newbiggin and to Northumberland for holidays.

My Dad was in the Manchester Blitz. He had to rescue some people from the Waiting Room at the Exchange station and lead them to safety. There is an underground passage that links Victoria Station to the Crypt of the Cathedral and that is where he took them. The Railway gave him a certificate to say to thank him for his work in the Manchester Blitz.

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