´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by volunteer Stan Grosvenor from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cleveland on behalf of Dorothy Mary Grayston (née Ascroft) and has been added to the site with her permission. Dorothy Grayston fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

In 1941 (or 1942) I was three years of age and living with my brothers Terry and Derek and sister Rita with our mother on Lostock Fold Farm near to Preston.

It was a dairy farm and like most families at that time we had a number of Clippie mats because of the materials shortages and lack of coupons etc. One particular mat, mainly black in colour, was on the doorstep and this was the marker that indicated the furthest limit of where I was allowed to venture by myself.

One day an Italian Bomber flew over the farm and jettisoned its load. The bombs fell between the hen’s cabins but failed to explode. I was later told that the target was intended to be the village of Euxton.

We were kept in the house for three whole days while the Bomb Disposal Squad went about their business. I stood on that mat for hours, wishing that I could dare to go further out to see what was going on.

Naturally there would be a Bobby around the farm on a regular basis. One night he investigated the squealing of a pig at the farm. It cost my parents a whole leg — we weren’t allowed to slaughter in those days!

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