大象传媒

I was 9 years old when war was declared. Not understanding the seriousness of this, it all seemed very exciting.
I remember my mother putting sticky tape on the windows in a criss-cross pattern so they wouldn't shatter if they were blown out by a bomb blast. My mother had to make thick black material into curtains for the windows and doors, so that no chink of light showed, if the least bit of light showed outside the Air Raid Warden would shout to tell you to put it out. You were not able to use a full beam on torches only shaded ones. There were no street lights and when there was no moon it was very dark indeed.
I was then a pupil at Spa Street Primary School down Baptist Lane, Spa Street, Ossett and one of my earliest recollections of the war was when we all had to practise running home as fast as we could to see if we could get home in time after the sirens went and before the raids started. I don't know the outcome of this but we never had to put it to the test.
We all had to go down to the Old Primitive Methodist Schoolroom on South Parade (now demolished) to have our gas masks fitted. They were in a cardboard box with straps, I later got a Rexine (imitation leather) case. We had to take them everywhere with us.
The mill buzzers were used as sirens to warn us of an imminent raid. They also sounded the 'all clear' at the end of the raid. There were quite a few mills in our area and we could tell where each siren came from by the sound. First would be Jessops (Spa Street) then Manor Mill (Manor Road) and the others followed immediately until all were blowing together. We didn't have a shelter or a cellar so we had to go into the 'cubby hole' under the steps. It had a door on and mother put buffets in for us to sit on. Otherwise we sat in the house and often we would be 'pricking' a list rug to pass the time.
Many evacuees came up from London. Some stayed until the end of the war and afterwards but some were very homesick and went back home.
When I was eleven I got a scholarship to Wheelwright Grammar School in Dewsbury. In school we had to take our coats and gasmasks to every classroom. We had a lot of shelter practise. Again there was never a raid when I was in school. The only afternoon raid I remember was when I was at the Saturday Matinee in Ossett Paladium picture house and I had to run all the way down Station Road.
One evening just after 8 o'clock the sirens went and immediately we heard the explosion of a bomb. One dropped in Brean's garden down Manor Road and made a huge crater. No-one was hurt but windows were blownout. One also dropped in the garden of a derelict house down Park Square just below where I lived. It was thought to be a fire bomb and we all had to evacuate our homes, we went to friends. Fortunately it was a false alarm and we were allowed home next morning. I believe it may have been then when 2 people were killed down Thornes Lane and some down Dewsbury cutting. The houses down the cutting have never been rebuilt.
Food and clothes were rationed. We got used to dried egg (which made lovely omelettes), dried milk (much creamier than today), queues for sausages etc. I remember one year my mother made Xmas cake with prunes. We sometimes received food parcels from my mother's uncle in Australia. They usually contained dark chocolate, honey, tinned fruit etc. We got a monthly sweet ration which I suppose was good for our teeth. Although we ate plainly, we were never hungry and my mother was very skilled in providing good meals out of our rations.
At various times there were special weeks to raise money for buying armaments, planes etc. One was 'War Weapons Week' and there was a 'Mrs Churchills Fund'. I once received half a crown for a poster I painted in a competition, I think the caption was 'Buy a Spitfire and Save our Homes'. My friends and I also gave little concerts to the neighbours to raise money for one of these funds.
Later in the war Dooblebugs and V.J. bombs came to London and quite a lot of people were evacuated up here again. Some were billeted in our school and we older girls went in to help look after the children.
On looking back I realise how very fortunate we were in Ossett. We saw very little of the air raids which devastated so many towns and cities.
These are my recollections of the war as seen through the eyes of a girl aged 9yrs - 15yrs from 1939 to 1945.

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