大象传媒

At the beginning of the War I was 14 and started working in an office, I was a dogs-body, taking letters around to 鈥淢.r So and So鈥�. One day, on the way home, I was with a friend and passing the railway station when there was a Spitfire and a German plane fighting up above. We just stood there watching the sparks fly from one plane to another and a policeman came up saying 鈥淵ou girls, get home! Its no joke鈥� but we enjoyed ourselves; we didn鈥檛 see the danger.

The German plane was shot down and he was buried on the outskirts of Birmingham. I have been there since but they must have taken the grave away because he is not there now.

I saw many fighter planes, but the funny thing I was never scared. It was happening but I always just thought how exciting! Later on in was called up for the services. You were called up when you were 18. I wanted to join the Land Army but my mother didn鈥檛 want me to, she wanted me to stay home, keep an eye on me I suppose. I joined the Birmingham Bus Company and conductress on the bus. I was there for four years, till after the War finished.

At night there were no lights, the busses had no lights on, so the conductress used to get off the bus and lead the bus home and the people would be asleep on the bus. I had a light attached to my uniform and that was the guide. We were all very young and fit.

The soldiers used to come to Birmingham all the time with their kit on. One day on of them fell down the stairs with all his kit on and landed on my foot. Then the Americans arrived as well. My husband, well we were courting then, he came over and we got married and he went back again. A young soldier on the bus tried to talk me up and I said, 鈥淣o I am married鈥� and he said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind you being married!鈥�

I was going up to the garage and out on the buses, it is all dark, it was 4am in the morning because we had to take the men to work at the time, something warm touched me on the shoulder. Well I ran up the hill and when I got to the garage the men there said, because they were a lot older and couldn鈥檛 be called up for war, 鈥淲hat happed?鈥� and I said 鈥淪omething warm touched me on my shoulder!鈥� They went down the hill to see what it was and came back laughing, it was a horse that must have stuck its head out of the stable as I walked passed!

Funny, we didn鈥檛 realise then all the dangers we were in.

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