大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of "Peasticks" and has been added to the site with her permission, she fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

"I was 21 when war was declared that Sunday, and a member of 2nd Bredbury (St Mark's) Ranger Co., so in company of all the others we went in a body to the sandpit at Highfield where we filled sand-bags as if our life depended upon it. These were used round the Council Offices then in Bank House, George Lane and the First-Aid Post which is now the Clinic on Bents Lane. There we alternated nightly with the St. John's nurses.

We only had two bombs in the area. One in what is now the Cemetary, where it didn't bother the people, and one on High Lane where a house was demolished and someone killed.

I worked as a Senior Clerk at a soft furnishing firm in Soth Reddish and the firm changed over to making webbing for parachute harness, so I was in a reserved occupation and although the authorities kept trying to call me up, the firm kept applying for exemption so I never had to go.

Incidentally - and this is a true story - a contemporary of mine got his calling-up papers just when he had booked a holiday. He wrote back to say he couldn't come as he was going to Blackpool, so the reply came back - "Alright, come next week"!! How we won the war.

The factory where I worked was a single storey building with a many pointed roof, where on top of one of the points was a Spotter's Box reached by a ladder. In case of an alert the spotter pulled a piece of string and a piece of cardboard flapped up and down on the wall below - the first "mobile telephone". then the whole workforce went into the cellar divided into 2/3 sections - weavers, winders, warpers etc with office staff.

Gradually the male members of our staff were called up and we were left to carry on alone. Going to the bank in a taxi to pay wages, collect cash etc.

Of course we had rationing and we all had a book. We had coupons for butter, bread, meat etc. If we were lucky to get a cheap cut of meat it went further. Potato pie was a good standby, it was nourishing and filling. I don't remember anyone being obese.

My father was a postman. On duty at 5.00 in the morning, fire-watching on Home Guard at night. During the Manchester Blitz I slept under the stairs or sometimes under the table.

When peace was declared in 1945, I was staying with cousins in the Birmingham area and we danced the night away in the main street of Stratford-upon-Avon where owing to the shortage of men I learned to take the gentleman's part in the quickstep and the waltz!"

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