大象传媒

My name is Rosemary Siret and I am 67 yrs old. I was born in London during August 1936, my first home was in Crown Lane, Southgate, N14 and my brother was born there in March 1940.

I had just had my 3rd Birthday, when the war started in 1939, so I don鈥檛 remember the early months, but in September 1941 I started school at St. Mary鈥檚 School in East Barnet village. By then my Mother, Brother, and I were living with my Grandparents in Jackson Road, in the village, because my father had been 鈥渃alled up鈥� for service into the army and he was a long way from home. We missed him very much, but we were happy living with my Grandparents, also an Aunt, and a friend of my Aunt鈥檚, so there were 7 of us living in a small 3 bedroomed house, with an outside toilet, (very scary when dark) and no bathroom. We had a tin bath which was kept in the outside toilet, which was brought indoors and filled with hot water that had been boiled in the copper which usually washed our clothes every week.We took turns to have a bath (using the same water for everyone) and then of course, the bath had to be emptied which took ages.

Our road had a shelter so when the air raid warning sounded, to warn everybody that the enemy was approaching overhead, we could leave our homes and go to the air-raid shelter which would protect us from falling bricks etc. if a bomb landed in the streets near us. It smelt very musty and damp inside and everybody longed to go home and be comfortable, especially if it happened during the night; so we were very happy to hear the all clear siren because that meant the air raid was over for the time being and it was safe to go outside again.

At night we had to have blackout curtains fixed to the windows, to make sure there was no light shining through. There were no street lights and buses all had their windows darkened, but we were allowed small torches (if we could get the batteries) so that we could shine them down onto the pavements to help us walk safely; but usually people stayed indoors at night, especially the children.

We also had to carry our gas masks everywhere, and had to practice putting them on and off; they smelled rubbery and horrible. I hated it.

Soon after the war started, we were given ration books. Every time our Mum went shopping she took these books for food and clothes; we were allowed only a small amount of butter, sugar, bacon, eggs etc. per person per week. There were no supermarkets in those days, so we had to queue at the Butchers for meat, the Bakers for bread, Greengrocers for vegetables and fruit (if you could get them), Grocers for tea, coffee, butter, ham, bacon, eggs etc. My Grandad dug up some of his flower beds and grew vegetables for us, so we had plenty to eat; we were never really hungry, but we did not have sweets or bananas because they came from abroad and the boats couldn鈥檛 get through.

We did not have T/V then or videos and only had a radio to listen to which worked with an accumulator (the equivalent of today鈥檚 batteries), which had to be taken to the shop to be charged, quite frequently if you had your radio on for a long time. We also did not have many toys or presents for Birthdays or Christmas; many Fathers were away fighting in the war and our Mums had very little money to spare, but we had fun just the same, our Christmas times were wonderful with all the relations playing all sorts of games.

The teachers at school looked after us very well: when there was an air raid during school time, they took us all to the shelter that we had in the playground: we tried to do our lessons, but found it hard. We could hear the bombs falling around us. On one occasion a bomb fell in Cat Hill, killed people we knew and damaged many houses; it made us very sad.

At school every year around May 1st, we celebrated May Day with a May Queen and her attendants; it was a lovely time. We were allowed to go home at lunch time and get dressed up in pretty frocks and wear flowers in our hair. We then had dancing around the May Pole which was in the playground, always hoping there would not be an air raid (I think we were fairly lucky) and the weather was usually fine.

When it was lunch time at St. Mary鈥檚, we had to go across to the Church Hall for our dinners. I think the dinners were OK, but I hated the day we had rice pudding. It was so thick my spoon used to stand up in it and the dinner ladies made sure we ate it, YUK!!! I hated it, still do, so will not eat it.

On July 5th 1944, we were all at school having lessons, when the air raid warning sounded. All the staff and children went to the shelter; we tried to work, but the planes sounded noisy overhead. Suddenly all the noise stopped, we waited until there was an enormous crash, the ground shook, we all rolled around on the floor and felt very scared, but we were alive. When the all clear siren sounded, we were able to leave the shelter, but as we looked towards the park, we could see some of a huge bomb which had landed in the park. Luckily nobody was killed, but 5 people were seriously injured, 20 slightly hurt, and many damaged houses in Church Hill Road. To this day you can still see the ridge of earth where the bomb fell; it is opposite Rushdene Ave, just before you go up the hill towards St. Mary鈥檚 Church. Every time I go past there I can still see that bomb.

There is also a strange story about the bomb. One week before it fell in the park, a fair had been there, but the Fortune Teller told them all to pack up and leave, because something awful was going to happen; and sure enough, after they had gone, one week later the bomb fell in exactly the same place that the fair had been. So they had a lucky escape, thanks to the fortune teller.

Because all the windows had broken at the school that day, Miss Banham, the Headmistress, told our Mum to take us home and not come back until September for the new term, so we had two months holiday that year HURRAH!

The war finally ended in May 1945, and we all had a wonderful time at the street parties: big tables were put up in the roads, all the children sat down to eat sandwiches, jellies, and cakes. How the Mums and everybody managed to get us all the food I鈥檒l never know, but it was wonderful.

We were still rationed for food etc. until the 1950s, but life was better, and my Father returned home to us safely.

Although the war has been over for 58 years, and it is now 2004, I shall never forget it, and hope it never happens again. It was nearly 6 years of my life and a lot happened during those 6 years, some of it very sad.

I have enjoyed writing and recording my story, so that all future generations may have some idea of what a war was all about. It is History now but should not be forgotten, ever.

Goodbye

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