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This story was submitted to the people war Website by a volunteer from Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life on behalf of Hazel White

HAZEL WHITE

At the beginning of the war I was 9 years old and I went to Greenway Convent in Tiverton. I remember the fun we had with our gas masks because we could make ‘rude’ noises with them! The alarm was a ring of the bell for a practice gas attack and we had to assemble under the stage. At the time of exams we used this opportunity to exchange information about answers to questions!

At my home whenever there was an alarm, my sisters and I and the children next door used to squash into a cupboard under the stairs.

At night the Dads always went outside to see if there were enemy aircraft (one of their’s) overhead. My uncle and aunt were evacuated to live with us during the war and at one point my uncle mentioned he saw some lights flashing in the hills nearby. The result was we were visited quite late by 2 large wardens who invaded my aunt’s bedroom while she was wearing her hair curlers to look out of the window at the lights. She was very annoyed and embarrassed. The lights turned out to be quite innocent.

Because of ‘careless talk costs lives’ all road signs had been taken away and our favourite game as children was to deliberately give people false directions.

We had 2 evacuees, girls from Devonport High School, who stayed with us for several years.

At the end of the war we had a wonderful street party to celebrate. The rationing was quite adequate — we never went without anything.

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