大象传媒

Olive W.

My mother had a baby on the first day of the war. I worked at Vickers but couldn鈥檛 do nights or overtime because I had to help my mother with the baby.

Olive Bell

Westerhope was a little village then. I had 4 brothers who were miners and one very old mother. I had to look after them all. Miners had to be looked after because the country needed the coal. Anyone with a spare room had to have a soldier billeted with them. When the ack ack guns brought down a plane, the pilot was taken to the school. Everyone rushed to the plane for souvenirs. Because I was exempt from the war I had to do fire watch.

Mr Watts

I worked in a Birmingham factory making shells. Worked nights for over 3 years. The factory was bombed at every corner. They had spotters on the roof who would alert the workers at the last minute if enemy planes were near 鈥� so they could stop working and go to the shelter at the last minute. No one died when it was bombed but one woman died in a fire.

Bus loads of women were bussed down from Hebburn to look round in the hope they would volunteer to work there. I used to go to the hospital as a volunteer visitor to soldiers from far away 鈥� but we weren鈥檛 allowed in the burns unit. I had 5 brothers fighting, one was under the water at Dunkirk. He was in the Red Berets. All my brothers came back.

Lily Shepherd

Walking from work you saw planes very low, could actually see the pilots, he dropped the bombs, hitting the goods station, planes dive-bombing, flames everywhere, sugar syrup running down street.

Katherine W.

I remember the Milvain Club being bombed. We had air raid shelters in the garden. I remember queuing for food 鈥� women pretending to be pregnant and jump the queue. We used to exchange clothing coupons for sugar and tea. I remember the goods station at Manors being bombed 鈥� it was full of sugar.

Jenny Brown

Was nursing at Hexham General where troops were taken, Germans as well as our troops, this was classed as a safe area.

Florrie Gibson

Spending days and nights in shelters scared, but singing and entertaining yourselves.

Ellen Gibson

I worked at Vickers as a gauger. I had a new baby and when the siren went I didn鈥檛 want to go into the shelter. I ran and ran, past Ladykirk Road 鈥� which was bombed! I remember the wardens shouting 鈥淕et that light out!鈥�

Dolly Renwick

Remember standing watching the bombs, fairy lights, trying to bomb Vickers.

Celia Hollingsworth

Women having to work in factories or sent to farms to work on the land. Fathers and brothers away for 4-5 years. Remember the troops coming home from Dunkirk, no shoes, hardly any clothes, people rally round to provide clothes.

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