大象传媒

I was nearly 11 when the war started. The powers that be must have known that there was going to be a war, because they gave air raid shelters out beforehand and I helped my father, who was a policeman, to go around the houses giving gas masks out. When war was declared my brother's school,The Birkenhead Institute, closed and all the boys went to Oswestry. My school didn't close but Mum thought I should be evacuated as well, so I was taken to West Kirby for inspection to see if I would do. This old couple looked me over and said I could go and live with them. It turned out that they were my Great Aunt and Uncle. It seemed such a long way but it is laughable now, to go to West Kirby from Prenton. As soon as Mum left, I was made to go and have a bath. Aunt Carry wouldn't believe that I had had one the night before. She even stood in the bathroom while I got undressed. I was so embarrassed. She was alright after, but I preferred Uncle Albert because he was so like my Grandad.They were both master painters. There was parttime school as the village school couldn't cope. The head master had us singing the French National Anthem every day. I often wonder why.
After 6 months, as there had been no bombing, we went home, but then it started. We lived about 3 miles from the river and when the air raids were bad we could see all the flashes and fires. The noise was terrible. In Holm Lane there were Ack Ack guns and when they fired Big Bertha the house would shake. My Gran and Uncle came from Hull as the bombing was bad but after one night they went back home as it was worse here. Birkenhead and Liverpool got badly bombed in the May Blitz. Liverpool ran out of water and laid pipes down to the river.
All the married ladies who weren't allowed to work before now had to. Mum went back to the telephones until that building was smashed and Aunty Emm had to do a milk round. I left school at 14 and got work right away in Woodchurch Lane Post Office for 15 shillings a week. My Dad left home and took most of the furniture and the Family Silver. We had to sit on Deckchairs. Then we had to move because Dad wanted to sell the house. We moved to Egremont, just up off the Prom. Women had no rights then.
The worst things of the war for me were, Dad going and being hungry. The longer the war went on the more hungry we got, but at least we were all fit and slim. It was quite exciting growing up during the war.If there were no bombs dropping, you were quite safe out in the dark and there were loads of young people to be friends with for a while.

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