大象传媒

I lived in Walker during the war. I lived down by the river and the river was target for bombers because of all the ship building on the Tyne. One night I remember my family and neighbours being in the shelter when the bombers came over. There was an ak-ak gunner and balloon positioned on the waste ground beside Waverdale Avenue. These bombers started to bomb the houses on Bath Street and Welbeck Road when the gunners spotted the planes with their lights so the planes swerved and dropped a bomb at the top of Edendale Avenue. The plane then came back onto it's original course and bombed every street in it's path to Ennerdale Avenuve. If the plane hadn't swerved when it did my families house would have been bombed.
The sand bags that were ontop of our Anderson Shelter were split open with the force of the blast. My father was buried under the sand was dug out safely.

As a result of this I was evacuated to keep me safe.I was evacuated in 1940 to a farm at Bolton Gate near Keswick. I loved my time on the farm because of the lovely country side where we always had plenty of fresh food. It was so diffrent from the city and rationing. I attended school at Ierby. My job on the farm was collecting cattle from the top field with the farmer's daughter, Margaret. Quite a distance!

One day coming home with the cows, one of the cows stopped so I volunteered to go back to get it. When I got up to it up went it's tail and down came a big pancake which I wasn't expecting. Needless to say my new sandles and socks were absolutely ruined. I can still picture it - what a mess and what a pong! It always brings back a smile!

I stayed at the farm right until the end end of the war, almost five years. I am still in touch with Margaret, cards at Christmas and like.

These two stories represent the best and the worst of my war years.

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