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I lived in Weymouth during the war. I was five years old when war broke out. My brother Jim was born on 25th September 1939. My father failed a medical and was unable to join the forces, though many of our neighbours did. He was first in the Civil Defence, then the ARP (Air Raid Party). Their HQ was a wooden hut, lagged with sandbags, which contained a snooker table. His day job was selling Brooke Bond Tea from a red Trojan van.
1. First bombs dropped on Portland — at the outbreak of war we were picnicking in a lay-by overlooking the Chesil Beach when bombs were dropped in the sea. We hid behind the rocks. They were aimed at the oil tanks which serviced the Navy ships in Portland Harbour.
2. School at our house — at the early part of the war we had lessons in our house. Desks were set up for about a dozen pupils of St John’s School and Miss Alexander used to come on her bicycle each day to give us lessons. I remember playing with the plasticine when everyone had gone home.
3. Bomb on corner shop — West’s the grocers corner shop was hit by a bomb one night. Those in the house attached to the shop survived, because it was not a direct hit: the bomb bounced off the corner of the shop. The house was five doors away from us and the blast sucked out the glass in our windows and the French doors blew open. My brother then a few months old, was sleeping in his high pram against the French windows and slept all through it.
4. Anderson and Morrison shelters — We had an Anderson shelter in the garden, which was very damp, and had a sump, which had to be pumped out and often after rain the floor, was swimming with water. We did spend some nights down there but it was most uncomfortable. Later we had a Morrison shelter, which was a steel frame with wire sides, which had to be fixed once you were inside. We slept in this probably for the rest of the war
5. Rationing — dripping toast instead of butter this was a treat with a little salt on it.
6. Petrol rationing — I remember staying with my maternal grandparents at Thruxton and visiting my other grandfather’s bakery in Andover. He took us home in his van, which was only to be used for delivering bread, so in case we were stopped we travelled home with a basket of bread in the van.
7. Milk deliveries — Our milk was delivered by Farmer Vincent. He had a covered wagon drawn by a horse. The milk was in churns. Housewives used to come into the street with their jugs and the milk was measured from the churn with a dipper with a long handle. The Co-op had a milk float with four pneumatic tyres, also horse drawn, and a lady in charge. Their milk was in bottles and the children would ride on the platform given half a chance.

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