大象传媒

My first memory was the day war broke out I was 15 at the time, my friend and I were due at Osmaston Carnival Band practise rehersal. We reached the meeting hall and found it empty, thinking this was strange we went to the bandmaster house in Yates Street, we knocked the door and were told that the war had just been declared. It was a frightened expereience we both thought that there would be planes coming over our heads and droppin bombs, we rushed home as fast as our legs would carry us.

On returning home we were comforted by our parents.

After a band concert some time later we were instructed to go home by the propertier of the Fish & Chip shop after waiting for a meal of chips and no sign of any assistants we thought "great we have missed the rush" but had not heard the air raid sirens.

My siblings & I experienced one bad bombing in Derby we went to next doors airaid shelter we could hear the planes above my Father always stood at the top of the shelter until on one occassion we heard an usual sound my Father shouted "this is for us" and after the raid we later found out that a couple of the shelters in the necxt street had been damaged but missed us, this was a frightening expereince.

As time passed we got used to the war and tried to get used to things and carry on as normal. We made the best of life as we could.

I remember one sad occassion one of our Air Cadet girl members was killed in a night raid whilst she was walking across the Yard of Ford & Weston based on Osmaston Road, Derby. All the cadets attended her funeral it was a very sad occassion.

After being in the cadets for three years I left because I was unable to go into the Senior Forces, as being under 21 I requried by parents consent, my Father refused.

I changed direction and took up ballroom dancing for the rest of the War, there were happy times and really bad times, but all thoughout the war everyone always pulled together.

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