大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the site by the 大象传媒's Peoples War Team in the East Midlands with Elizabeth Sinfields permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The article was collated and written by a pupil at Mortimer Wilson School, Alfreton as part of a Peoples war Project."

My earliest memory of the war was starting school at the age of four and a half years, setting off with my gas mask hanging on a strap around my neck. I don鈥檛 know what happened at school that day but I remember all the new children were marched out of school and along the pavement, for what did seem like a long way to an air raid shelter and told if we heard sirens whilst at school this is where we must run to. I remember lying in bed that night and wondering if I would remember my way to the shelter.

My father was a regular soldier in the Scots Guard, he was posted to Egypt before I was born. My mother and myself lived at my grandparents house, which was also a shop. Mother worked a night shift at an ammunition factory in Langley Mill. I also remember the blackout curtains, thick and dark at all the windows. No light was put on until the curtains were closed.

Grandmothers shop sold sweets, bread, vegetables and groceries. Ration books were used and coupons taken out for butter, sugar, sweets and other items. At the end of the month all coupons were counted and sent away.

When the war was almost over I remember a lot of excitement when my Auntie Linda came home. She was a nurse working away. On the train a sailor had given her a banana and she had saved it for me. Well, I had never seen anything like it, the colour the shape. I didn鈥檛 know what to make of it. I do know that when I tasted it, that first bite of the sweet fleshy fruit was delicious.

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