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Just prior to the Second World War I was living with my family: my mother, father, elder brother, John, and younger sister, Mary. We lived in Newton which is on the outskirts of Chester. Chester is a beautiful Roman city, famous for its cathedral, Roman Walls, and The Rows. It was possible to shop in The Rows which was all under cover, so on wet days it was ideal.

My parents had opened a cake shop in town and worked very long hours, especially with the baking. Before the war and rationing, they sold all types of luxurious cakes, buns, pastries, pies, birthday and wedding cakes.

One day in August 1939, my mother heard from a relative in London that air raid shelters were being prepared. It was a sign of things to come.

On Sunday September 3rd, 1939, it was announced on the radio that we were at war with Germany. I went out into the back garden and looked up at the sky expecting bombs to be dropped.

Nothing happened for some time. It was to be my tenth birthday on October 3rd. At our local school we were preparing for bomb attacks and had to have air raid shelter drill, usually daily. We were issued with gas masks, and were told to carry them around with us at all times. Not to do so ended with a caning from a very strict headmaster.

Some of us had the job of sticking tape to the windows, to protect from splintered glass.

Then later, the war started in earnest. No longer was it called ‘The Phoney War’. Ration books were issued and we had to register at a grocer and a butcher. Sweets were rationed to 12 ozs a month. I had used up mine in a few days. Clothing and petrol were rationed. We were told to use no more than three inches of bath water. Rationing started with minimal amounts of butter, sugar and flour. I remember we were allowed one egg a month each. Of course, people on farms fared better. Men were called up or volunteered. Women now had a big roll to play in running the country.

Women worked all hours in munition factories and hospitals. They also drove ambulances, ran canteens and did all jobs previously done by men.

We had posters everywhere telling us to not waste food. Men gave their lives to bring it to us. Many hundred of merchant Navy ships were sunk and so many brave men lost their lives.

My father joined the Navy and now the cake shop could only open two and a half days a week; that was all rations would allow. My mother was kept busy with a home and business to run and only one woman to help her.

The black out had been introduced and air raid wardens were very strict. Many thousands of people were killed on the roads because of very poor visibility. Place names were covered on stations so as to avoid helping the enemy. Any small amount of black out curtain not covering the window was soon pointed out by an air raid warden.

School dinners were introduced because so many mothers were on war work. It was safer, as children didn’t need to go home for a meal. I know they did their best but sometimes the food was awful. One really needed to be hungry!

Chester is situated only miles from the Ports of Liverpool and Birkenhead. They were targeted by bombers of course, for heavy and continual bombing from German bombing. We visited Liverpool many times. The bombing damage was very sad to see. Almost derelict shops had a notice hung on a door ‘Business as usual’. Of course many other cities were destroyed and thousands of lives lost over more than six years of war.

Sometimes at night we would look out from our front room window and see the sky alight from the many incendiary bombs. The bombers pounded Liverpool and Birkenhead for weeks at a time, but we never gave in. We hit back. People helped each other so much in those dreadful times.

When bombs where dropped on Chester, we used to get our bikes out and go to collect ‘shrapnel’. We didn’t get a lot of bombs on Chester; mostly the bombs were for military targets and ports.

Life got pretty hard at times for all of us, so we were glad of a break. We had relatives in Llandudno, a beautiful seaside resort in North Wales. During summer school holidays, my sister and I would take a train to visit them. We would just leave a note for Mother, who was busy in the shop, to tell her that we were going there.

My Auntie Edie (my mothers’ sister) and Uncle Alex (fathers’ brother) were very kind to us. They put up with us for weeks. Whilst we were visiting, the so called ‘black bread’ was introduced. Mary and I were happy to have this big change in bread, but not for long.

A funny side to this story was the night Grandma, who lived with Auntie and Uncle, boiled their few eggs and used up their entire tea ration. They had just popped next door and Grandma heard Paul Robeson singing on the radio. He was her heart throb so she made many cups of tea and boiled their only three eggs all around the radio! She also drew back the curtains, to get a view of the sea. The air raid warden was round quick sharp!

We spent some happy days visiting Happy Valley, situated within the Great Orme there. As we spent most of our money early in the holiday, we could sit on the hill and watch the entertainment free, as it was an outdoor show.

Alex Munro was the ‘leading light’ there and cheered us up immensely.

On arriving home with heavy hearts, brother John suggested making an air raid shelter in the back yard. We dug quite a large hole and put many of our beloved trinkets into it. Later in the week we had very heavy rain and the whole thing collapsed luckily no one was in it! I suppose that buried treasure is still there.

We also acquired a greenhouse. We grew tomatoes, which required lots and lots of watering. We also bought some hens and a cockerel which meant we now had some fresh eggs. On the rare occasion my Mother served us roast chicken for Sunday lunch, my sister and I used to run down the garden to check which of our hens was missing. Should it be Patsy, Charlotte or Polly, there was no way we would eat it, no matter how hungry we were!

One day I thought I would try and hatch out an egg. I put a candle underneath an egg and swathed it in straw and waited and waited. Later smoke was billowing out of the green house. I don’t think we kept hens after that....

As a means of protection from enemy aircraft, large silver barrage balloons were used in the sky. The Battle of Britain was a turning point in the war. Brave young men, some with only hours flying experience were sent up to fight enemy aircraft. Thank god for the spitfire.

On the edge of pavements, emergency water pipes were fitted (or E.W.S. as they were known). They has a translucent paint on them, because of the black out. I vividly remember some American soldiers who tripped over them and they used some choice language.

There were servicemen from all over the world, based in various camps. We had Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders as well as Poles. Quite a number of British girls got married to these servicemen and went back later to their individual countries.

Evacuee children were brought to Chester from Liverpool and Birkenhead. The bombing got so very bad at times in their home towns so it was for their own safety that the children were moved to Cheshire. I pitied them at our school because the head master was extra strict with them.

The government also brought out a scheme to send children to the Commonwealth countries. Unfortunately many children were drowned when their ship was sunk. The scheme was then cancelled.

Our morale became rather low at times, understandably. To cheer us up, comedy programmes hit the airwaves. I well remember one in particular, It was called I.T.M.A. short for its that man again. The man being Tommy Handley. The British sense of humour has always been excellent.

My brother John was anxious to get into the war ‘before it was over’ as he said. He eventually did and became a navigational officer in the merchant navy. He, like many others, went off to war as an eager young man but came home much wiser.

Eventually, V.E. day arrived. There was much celebrating, my mother and I were in the Town Hall Chester that evening. Mum would have liked a celebration drink and we attempted to get one for her from the bar but the crowd was so large that we got swept right round past the bar and out again. Ah well, such is life!

I was now sixteen and we were to have many more years of rationing. America and Britain agreed on a lend lease arrangement. This helped a great deal, however it took many years to repay.

Servicemen arrived home to unemployment, a country mostly suffering bomb damage and almost bankruptcy. So many plans for rebuilding, such as our very old school, had to be put on hold for many years.

But for a small island Britain achieved a great deal during the war and I am, and always have been, very proud of this.

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