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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Joan Crain. She fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was born in West Ham, London, two years before WW2 broke out. One of my earliest memories as a two year old is being fitted for a Mickey Mouse gas mask. I remember very clearly the horrible, rubbery taste and smell. My 12 month old brother had a contraption shaped like a large egg with a transparent window. There was a handpump, like a concertina, fitted on the side through which air was pumped and filtered. In the advent of a gas attack he was to go inside. He would have outgrown this ’egg’ very quickly. I do not remember much more about gas masks. Perhaps carrying became a routine-like putting on a coat.
In Sept. 1939 my mother, (my father stayed in London as he was in a reserved occupation), my brother and I moved into a house in Ilford. My parents bought the house but there were problems at first. I think that all house purchases were suspended for a while at the outbreak of war. Where we lived was a playground for children. At the outbreak of war all building ceased. Some houses just had foundations, others bricks to the first floor -all at various stages. No-one seemed to look after the site - it was our playground! Our house, although built, had no footpath, just mud.
Very soon we had an Anderson air raid shelter in our garden and we slept there most nights. I remember crawling across the snow one morning to find my Mother who was up cooking in the kitchen. The shelter was in the ground, corrugated iron set in concrete and covered with soil. Inside we had a hurricane lamp, bunks and bedding, basic supplies and a primus stove(I can still smell the paraffin). One night my grandparents, who lived in Hackney(London’s East End) were bombed out. Their house was not fit for occupation so much to my brother’s and my annoyance at being disturbed my father brought them and my aunt to our shelter - at least seven of us in a small area. They did not stay long — they managed to rent another house not far away. I don’t know what would have happened if nothing was available - stayed with us I suppose.
Sometimes we stood in our garden and watched aircraft in combat overhead. We once found a German coffee tin in our garden. Not far from our house and parallel to the A12, (London to the East Coast) a deep ditch had been dug and filled with water. We knew this as a tank trap - presumably it was to slow the progress of enemy tanks in the event of an invasion. There was a ditch crossing which had on it enormous concrete blocks to stop vehicles. Unfortunately a boy from my class at school was drowned in the deep ditch.
In 1941 we had given up using the outside shelter and had a Morrison shelter in the dining room. This was a big metal table with a bed underneath surrounded by a large mesh screen. My parents and my new sister slept here. My brother and I slept on a mattress in the corner of the room. I suppose that was so that we were altogether if anything went wrong. Everywhere was always very dark at night. If a light had to be on all heavy curtains were tightly closed (the blackout).
I went to school in 1941 when I was five years old. The building was modern(1920-30),flat-roofed, two storey with a slightly curved front. Infants on the ground floor and Juniors on the first. There was a huge (20ft. high) circular tank filled with water, just in front for use against fire. We had a large playing field at the back. This bordered an airfield. My father decided this all made the school building an obvious target for enemy aircraft so for a while I did not go to school. This must have been known to the authorities because work was regularly brought home for me.
One night our house suffered from blast from a nearby attack. Several windows were blown out. The gaps were not reglazed but covered with a fine wire mesh encased in something like perspex. When we went away, leaving our cat behind, he made a hole in the mesh so that he could come and go as he wished.
Things were getting more difficult. I don’t think any of us got much sleep. Previously at my Aunt’s wedding, her in-laws from Yorkshire had said that if ever we wanted to leave London we should go to stay with them - a privately arranged evacuation. My parents must have decided the time was now right. I remember the journey quite clearly. I was frightened. I had heard that trains were often bombed. We left home, (without the cat) carrying among other things a good supply of soft fruit from our garden. The garden had been turned into a fruit/vegetable plot. The first night we stayed in a large public shelter in Central London. We slept, probably in our clothes in an old factory type building on bunks the family all together in one corner. There were my mother, father, brother (about 4 years old ) my sisters, (one about 2 years and the other just 4 months old).
Early next morning we went to King’s Cross Station. It was seething. Somehow everyone squashed onto a train. I think we may have had special tickets because although the evacuation was privately arranged it was approved by the authorities. I don’t think my parents would have easily found the cost of travel for us all. During the journey my mother had to breast feed my baby sister. Women did not do this in public and the only acceptable place, out of the crowds, was the guard’s van. We all went there and while the baby was feeding the train stopped at a station. A railway official came into the guard’s van and tried to eject us. There was a heated exchange - my father pointing out,in no uncertain way, that the official could not possibly have experienced the situation in London! We stayed, feeding the baby!
When we arrived in Yorkshire the first thing I remember is sitting on the steps of my Grandma’s house, with my brother, listening to everyone talking. We could not understand a word. People did not hear regional accents on the radio then. The first night we all stayed together. My father went back to London as soon as he could; my mother and two young sisters stayed with one member of the Yorkshire family. There was not room for us all to stay together so I stayed with a another member who had a daughter near my age and my brother with one who had a son. I think the ‘foster families’ were paid an official amount by the authorities. We two older children went to school in Yorkshire.
Soon after we went to our new homes I caused a panic. I woke up one morning to the house empty. Everyone had gone to do a delivery job. I went to the other end of the village to find my mother causing a search to be set up!
Another very clear memory is waking up the first morning with the sun streaming through the windows. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. We’d been so used to thick heavy curtains and the minimum of light.
We stayed in Yorkshire about six months. We older children really enjoyed our stay. Everything was more relaxed and everyone was very kind. My father came to visit us when he could. I remember being there as a happy time. My brother and I got together with our mother every so often. Either my parents became restless or things in London became more settled and it was decided that we should return to our home. I do not remember much about the return except that when we went to school the teachers were fascinated by our accents! I was asked to stand in front of the class and talk to them. In those days all the broadcasts on the radio were in ‘King’s English’.
Our house was perfectly habitable, but damaged, and fairly soon after the war ended repairs were made - a large bay window was removed, repaired and replaced. I think this was paid for by the Government. It was war damage.

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