- Contributed by听
- John Chapman
- People in story:听
- Sheila Mary Chapman, n茅e Blower
- Location of story:听
- Chiswick, London
- Article ID:听
- A1968933
- Contributed on:听
- 04 November 2003
In 1944, my first wife (she died in 1978) was a 17-year-old schoolgirl, living with her parents and her sister Peggy in Chiswick. Throughout this year she kept a pocket diary, which I still have. The following entries, for June 1944, give a flavour of the times:
Tuesday June 6
Second front started! Went swimming in morning. Great excitement over news. Invaded French ports from Le Havre to Cherbourg.
Thursday June 8
Met Rod and he went to school with me. Had special prayer meeting at 2.15 for the Invasion boys.
Friday June 9
Went to service again in dinner hour. How Peter would have loved to have been here! How I wish he was! I remember him still more at this time. Dear Pete! Poor Auntie Bobbie - how much worse it is for her. God! Why must she have so much more suffering than others, she who has suffered so much already!
Saturday June 10
Played tennis with Rod, Rita and Doug. Went to dance at Town Hall. Danced with nice RAF boy three times.
Friday June 16
Air raid last night lasted until 9.30 a.m. - when I got to school. Sirens going all day. Sent home from School. Stayed to dinner, but tennis match scratched. Planes with no pilots in them are being sent over here!
Saturday Jume 17
Went shopping, and to baths in p.m. Sirens going all day. Dad would not let me go to dance at Town Hall. Did not go to bed til 1 a.m. Sat on stairs with Graham, Donald and Peggy. Non-pilot planes coming down all night.
Thursday June 22
After 'all clear' went to school, had instructions about tomorrow. We're to do [Matric] exams in one of the boys' shelters. Looked over quotations in evening, had bath, went to bed at 8.45.
Friday June 23
MATRIC STARTED. English Lit. in a.m. - not too bad. French paper was awful. Went to pics. in evening. Doodle-bug dropped in King's Street 11 p.m. Another near here. Awful noise.
So it took only a few days for the 'non-pilot planes' to be nicknamed 'doodle-bugs'!The diary continues, telling of her last days at school. By the end of the year she was a trainee studio assistant at the 大象传媒! Later, when ITV started up, she became the only lady sound balancer in TV.
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