大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Ian Hayes of the 大象传媒 GMR Action Desk on behalf of Roy Waude and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was six years old in 1940 when my Dad began staying out all night with the excuse he was Firewatching, eventually of course it turned out he had left home for another woman, leaving Mum to cope with bringing up two young children on her own and in the time of the Blitz; no maintenance or hand-outs at this time. Mum did what many thousands did at this time, she rolled up her sleeves and got on with it, taking a job at R.H.Dempsters on munitions work making shells for the war effort.
Whilst not the most robust person I do not recall her missing a day at work all throughout the war, and whilst returning home each evening tired and weary, never once losing her wonderful sense of humour. Each evening after our meal she would settle down making a peg rug for our home, or knitting socks or gloves for our servicemen.
Despite the air raids she managed to reassure my brother and I that she would keep us safe and no Jerry was going to get the better of her or our Winnie(Churchill). Of course, being a one parent family, money was tight all the time, relieved a little near the end of the war when my brother started work.
I recall he and I used to go and pick over the slag heap at Bradford Pit to find any coal we could and so supplement that which we could afford to buy.
In 1944 when I was now ten years old, my pal Alan and I used to go out after school foraging for wood, which we would then chop up and bundle and take it round on a cart we made to sell where we could, any money I made helped the family budget.
During all this time Mum continued to work hard on the munitions, working overtime when possible to save up for any little extravagances like a trip to the cinema or the Queens Park Hippodrome, and displaying the indomitable spirit that was common to everyone during those days.
The Second World War produced many heroes and a great deal of heroism, but I am grateful to the 大象传媒 for the chance once again after all these years to express my love and affection for my own special hero, my Mum, and my admiration for all the mums for their courage and humour throughout those dreadful years.

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