大象传媒

My first memories would have been when I was about 3 years old: I used to play with the children from the cottages on the other side of the Old Shoreham Road and we used to run backwards and forwards to each others houses all the time. On this particular day, I heard the tanks coming down the road (they often used the Old Shoreham Road) and I remember thinking I must get home. My kitten, called "Moo Cow" must have been in the front garden, ran out into the road and was run over by a tank! It must have been quite traumatic for me to have remembered it when I was so young.

My father made his own version of a Morrison Shelter in our dining room. My husband also remembers this as our families knew each other at this time! My father was in the Army and he was sent to York. We went up with him for a short time, however all the houses around us were bombed, but ours was left standing all by itself - so my mother decided to bring us back! On the train journey home from York, the soldiers put me up in the luggage racks above the seats - it wasn't very comfortable as it was made of "string!"

My mother ran a milk shop in a dairy in Hurstpierpoint (with my husband's aunty!). I went to Dicker House Boarding School in Burgess Hill - I've been back to try and find it since, but with no luck. We used to have to go in the basement when the air raids were on. On Hitler's birthday, the teachers and pupils used to sing "Unhappy Birthday" to him!

My mother then went to work at the dairy in Hollingbury, Brighton. At about this time, I remember being woken up by the noise from a lot of planes going over. The terrific noise made me cry and I can only think that these were part of the D-Day Invasion force.

When the war finished, I remember asking my parents if there would be anymore newspapers, as I associated newspapers with the war and if there was no war, there wouldn't be any news!

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.