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This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Deena Campbell from CSV Action Desk on behalf of Gladys Irene Jones and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Jones fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

After spending three years in the countryside as an evacuee from Birmingham I returned to the city in September 1942 to begin a two year secretarial course at a Sparkhill Commercial School on Stratford Road, Birmingham. I was shocked to find that large areas in and around the City and in the suburbs had been flattened and many buildings and landmarks that I remembered were no longer there.

During the first air raids in 1940 my family home in Claremont Road Sparkbrook had been bombed and my mother and sister had left with what possessions they could rescue. My mother travelled to Scotland with my older sister and her small baby and found a temporary home there near to where my sister鈥檚 husband lived was stationed with his RAF squadron. My brother and his wife who lived in the comparative peace and safety of Yardley Wood on the outskirts of Birmingham offered my younger sister a temporary home. My brother who at that time worked in the construction industry was directed to join the Rescue Section of Civil defence which was formed at the outbreak of the war. He was therefore able to remain at home, although during the blitz on Birmingham he was constantly on duty and when the City of Coventry was the target of the German Air onslaught in November 1940 his unit was sent to support the Fire, Ambulance and rescue Service there. He spent 48 hours on duty whilst the fires were brought under control and gas and water mains were restored.

During most of that time he had worn a gas mask and when he removed it the skin on his face peeled away leaving his face red and painfully sore. In later years he suffered considerable breathing difficulties from the smoke he had inhaled whilst dealing with fires and he died in his early sixties from a heart attack which my family felt was caused by war time experiences. There was very little reference made after the war to the sacrifices made by men and women who formed part of the civil defence. In recent years, however a memorial has been put in place in the grounds of Coventry Cathedral commemorating the people who served with the Civil Defence Units during WW2.

In the summer of 1942 my older sister鈥檚 husband was posted to the Middle East and she and my mother returned to Birmingham. At that time my younger sister, who by that time had married, found a house in Chesterton Road, Sparkhill where she and my mother were able to make a new home. The house had been badly affected by heavy bombing but had been patched up to make it just about adequate to live in.

The doors did not fit the frames and it was impossible to open any of the windows. The roof had been repaired but still let in water during heavy rain.

However, it provided us with a home. Evidence of the blitz was everywhere but the most depressing aspect at the time was that there had been a small avenue behind our house where all buildings had been destroyed but the remains of them had not been removed. And we looked out on a mass of broken bricks and masonry, wood, glass and the remains of the furniture. There had been a path through the original avenue leading from one road into the next. People passing through had worn a way through the debris by simply walking through huge mounds of broken bricks, glass etc. It seems the human spirit seems to overcome situations like this. We just copped with it and got on with our lives in the best way that we could.

My new school was not far from where we lived and I was able to walk there. It had been bomb damaged. The corner of the building had been sliced off and the top floor was consequently out of bounds.

It was eventually repaired and the building still remains as a Business Studies College for the benefit of the Asian Community who during the past 20 years or so have made this part of Birmingham their home.

Despite the wartime clothing restrictions a very strict uniform code was in force. The girl鈥檚 uniform consisted of a white blouse worn with a navy blue tunic with a bright blue girdle and a navy blue blazer with a very attractive badge depicting a blue dolphin symbol on the breast pocket. Rumour had it that this symbol was chosen because the dolphin is considered to be a very clever creature. A navy blue hat with a silk band coloured in light and dark blue and white completed our very smart appearance.

The school maintained a very high standard despite the war damage and the restriction in staff. Most of the teachers were old as all the young ones were serving in the armed forces. They all wore black cloaks which was very frightening! All the teachers were extremely strict and no excuses accepted for turning up late. Even if there had been a raid the night before we were expected to be on time. Homework had to be completed and shorthand tests were given daily. The constant advice given was that the higher speeds in shorthand and typing achieved would ensure us well paid posts.

Air raids continued during 1942/43 but were more sporadic then before but often lasted all through the night. Public air raid shelters had become more sophisticated and we often went to one with bunk beds, electric lighting and food and drink available. Birmingham had become accustomed to the blitz by this time and like the rest of the country were trying to get on with things like normal. The rationing and shortages became part of everyday life and listening to the wireless was all we used to do. Our wireless needed to be topped up by the local garage and we were scared that it would run out on Saturday night during the theatre, our highlight of the week.

During 1943/44 we saw a gradual build up in Birmingham of American servicemen and women, they were everywhere. I recall seeing an American soldier with a distinct Red Indian appearance, I thought, according to films they all wore feathers in their hair! We soon became accustomed to hearing to hearing the American accent; they were all friendly and looked extremely brave in their uniforms. They seemed to disappear just as quickly as they had arrived. As a young girl I was not aware of the significance of this at first, but of course they were in readiness for the invasion of Europe which began on 6th June 1944.

At the end of my 2 year course aged 16 I left school armed with my RSA certificates in shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, commerce and English. Towards the end of the school term countless letters were received at the school offering vacancies in every type of office. I applied for a job as a junior shorthand typist in a solicitor鈥檚 office in Colmore Row and was offered the post straight away. My salary was 1 pound a week. I was rich!!

So in July 1944, I started my career in the legal world. In 2005 over sixty years later I am still able to take temporary jobs in solicitors offices now with much more sophisticated equipment. But the Sparkhill commercial school training still remains with me.

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