大象传媒

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I remember the street party which my mother helped to organise. All the food was pooled from the rations available. I lived in a small community so there were children of various ages at the party about 20 in total.
I was aged 26 had been registered at the beginning of the war as a vegetarian, which enabled me to have extra ration of cheese, which her father and I were very fond of! I was particularly fond of 鈥渃heese on toast鈥�. I remember that 鈥渕eat鈥� was a black market commodity and my mum and dad would go to a pub in the town on a Saturday night where 鈥渕eat鈥� was available on the black market. There were four family members all working for Vickers Armstrong and the factory had been producing munitions prior to the outbreak of the war. Then 24-hour working was in progress when war was declared. I worked a 12-hour day and half day on a Saturday. As a member of the local church I remember having to work on a Good Friday which I thought was not right.

I worked in a old building and when the air raid siren sounded all the workers had to go down to the shelter which was down by the river Tyne, where I remember 鈥渓arge water rats!!鈥� As the war progressed, eventually the workers continued to work during raids. Very brave but there was no choice. Occasionally a worker would bring in a shell to show fellow workers which had only been made a short time before.

I was a member of the Youth Hostel Association and would dash home from work on a Saturday and then get into Newcastle for a train or bus into the country. I really enjoyed the fresh air and the break from the factory. If the weather was bad then my friends and I would meet and go to a dance locally.

I felt that Newcastle residents were fortunate compared to London and the other big cities. The bombers tried to bomb the Vickers Armstrong factory. They did get very near one night when the bombers targeted the river (along which the factory was sited) but fortunately the factory was not hit, but the dance hall where I frequently went did sustain a hit. More central factories for sugar and flourmills were damaged.

I never knew of any of the houses belonging to my fellow workers being hit 鈥� quite incredible.

My family took in evacuees, one was the sister of my fianc茅 who had one child and was expecting another and my mother and I looked after the older child.

My sister also worked in the VA factory and worked nights. Unfortunately due to the conditions she contracted a mild form of TB and spent 6-8 weeks in a Sanatorium. Myr younger brother was apprenticed as an engineer. Her brother had been evacuated at the beginning of the war but never had been in the services.

I had a friend whose husband was a serving naval officer and who had a young baby. I would go and keep her company in the evenings so it meant a very very late night at her house. I would leave in complete darkness, due to the blackout, so I would run down the middle of the road as quickly as I could to get home.

I felt that Newcastle was cut off a bit from getting news of what was happening throughout the country. I always listened to the radio when Mr Churchill was talking and if Vera Lynn was broadcasting.

I visited Epsom once during the war to visit her fianc茅鈥檚 parents. This was a nightmare of a journey as servicemen were sleeping in the corridors, racks and toilets of the trains with their kitbags 鈥� not much room for passengers.

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