大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War website by Liz Andrew of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Mrs Nell Chappelle and added to the site with her permission.

I was seventeen when the war started and I lived in Morley Street in Walton in Liverpool. Mum and Dad had a sweet and tobacco shop but we were bombed out in the May Blitz of 1940. Our basement had been reinforced and we were taking shelter down there. It was really supposed to be only for our family and next door's - six of us and three of them - but thirty three people ended up in our basement that night. They kept knocking at the door and saying, " Mrs McGee, Can we come in?" - and, of course, my mum let everybody in.

We were used to the sound of the bombs dropping but this time the bombs hit our house and it collapsed and came down on top of the shelter. After the All Clear my Dad climbed out but the warden asked us all to stay where we were. An hour later he came back and said, "You'll have to get out, there's Gas escaping." Then the whole block caught fire and we were left with nothing - just the clothes we stood up in. That was more frightening than anything - when we realized that we had nothing. My Mum and Dad were devastated.

We went to my mother's sister on the other side of Stanley Park. She and my mother had made a pact that they would take each other in if the need arose. There were six of us -My Mum and Dad, my three brothers of 16,14 and 7 and me. When we got to my auntie's we were covered with dust and the first thing we did was to have baths and wash our hair. My auntie went round the neighbours looking for clothes for us all and they were very good. My cousins helped me with a couple of dresses.

We reported everything to the Authorities and carried on as normally as possible. My Dad worked at Bibby's and I worked at Littlewoods at the time where they made barrage balloons out of silk. It was my job to test them. I enjoyed it.Eventually we found somewhere else to live - it was in Carisbrooke Road.

I transferred to the Aircraft Factory in Broughton and made the wings for Wellington Bombers. The frame was already made and we had to cover them with material which was rather like linen. There were two girls to each wing and they went from floor to ceiling. We had big trolleys which we used to climb like a ladder, one of us on either side of the wing and we'd cover it between us. It was a marvellous place - we had great fun. I had some friends there - they called us The Littlewoods gang.

We were well looked after - they'd take us out to dances on special coaches and I was billeted with a lovely family in Chester. My friend Flo Green stayed there too.

I was engaged to a boy called Bob Scarrett -a lovely boy. He was the cousin of one of my friends. He was in the Army in Burma - a Chindit behind enemy lines. Just before VE Day he sent me a cable to say, " Make preparations for the wedding." But he was killed on May 7th. His mum was later visited by some of the lads he was with and they told her he'd been killed by one of the Japanese - he'd been attacked from behind.

His Mum received a tlegram and I was sent for at work and told I was wanted at home. His father was at our house with my mother. He still had the telegram in his hand. At first I thought something had happened to my Dad and then his father said, " It's Bob."

I was devastated. I was nearly twenty three and I thought I'd never get over it. I had a fortnight off then I went back to work. I was very weepy. My parents were wonderful - they really looked after me. They took me out and tried to make me forget how bad it was. I couldn't sit at home and cry all the time.

That was the worst part of the War - the best part was working with the other girls. I kept friends with some of them for years afterwards.

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