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This is an account written by Mrs May Luscombe of her experiences and observations during and after "World War Two".

1939 War was declared on September 3rd.

The following months there seemed an unusual quietness until the summer of 1940, then the German fighter planes came and tried to win the war in the air this took place mostly in the skies over London and Southern England. A few came further inland. They intended to smash our air force first before the holocaust began, but we were just about able beat them. England had at that time only a few aircraft against their thousand or more, what a victory for it was for us, we blasted them out of the skies. The bombing of our cities started with London during August and then within a week Birmingham, the first bombs were dropped on Birmingham city centre, your Grandpa (Arthur Luscombe) and I had been shopping in the centre of Birmingham having with us our three children (Jean 7 yrs, Bernard 5 yrs and Graham 3 mths). We had only arrived home an hour before the sirens started howling and the bombs showered down, we considered ourselves very lucky to have escaped any injury or property damage.

It was shortly after this that we were informed over the 大象传媒 Radio to go to the nearest school and collect our gas masks, babies naturally could not have one on their faces, so a container was invented and we had to put the baby inside, there was a pump fitted on the side and you had to keep pumping air into the container. Thank heavens we did not have to use in it on Graham who was only a few week's old, but we had a lot of fun making rude noises at each other when we first tried our gas masks on.

Until October bombing was rather spasmodic, the German Air force were busy blasting London, including the docks, there were many hundreds of people killed who lived in dockland. It was November when the enemy started on Birmingham, what terrible times. We had an air raid shelter in the garden when we lived in Shirley on the outskirts of Birmingham, and when it rained Grandpa (Arthur) and I stood knee deep in smelly water, but Jean Bernard and Graham were warm and dry bunks that Arthur had built; with water bottles and blankets. I never want to see a grey shelter blanket again, but once again we had some laughs, especially when Bernard used the stirrup pump when he came home from school to pump some of the water out to get ready for the nightly raids, living on a slight hill the water soon flowed away into the garden next door and further on into the following gardens. Mrs Jones a neighbour kept some hens in a little shed, and they could not get out and were frantically swimming around and squawking madly as was Mrs Jones.

During a lull in the bombing, which sometimes lasted around half an hour, our husbands used to make a beeline to the Baldwin our nearest pub for a quick drink out of Jam Jars, and when they heard the drone of the next wave of bombers coming, they used to race back home with a few extra bottles of beer. One morning I opened the front door and the men had quietly put all their empty bottles, outside my front door. I do not know what some of the neighbours thought but Jean and Bernard took them back to the local outdoor and collected quite a few coppers for themselves, although there was nothing much they could buy, sweets were rationed, a 2oz chocolate bar or 2oz of sweets per week were allowed each person. Everyone had a ration book and what were called a points book, the points book was for sweets, chocolates, tinned fruit, fresh fruit, e.g. oranges or lemons that were distributed around every three months. We never saw a banana until after the war ended which was 1945. A hair comb was unobtainable; some people even bought small dog combs. Our food ration for each person was 2oz butter, 2oz margarine, and 4oz meat, 2oz cheese that was for a week not one day. Sausage we could buy on points that is if there was any around, and if we were willing to stand in a queue for an hour or more.

Now going back to the raids, the first week in November 1940 Coventry was devastated twelve hours of wave after wave of heavy bombers. And thousands of people died. We stood on the doorstep when we realised the raid was not for us that night. Even in Shirley 20 miles from Coventry the sky glowed blood red from the awful fires that were raging. On the 16th, 17th, and 18th of November we had three Heavy raids lasting from 7pm to 7am next morning. We were all in the shelter when we heard an awful roar like a strong wind and then we thought the world was falling on top of us, the crater was just 20 feet away from us, two houses vanished into the crater and two hundred houses were badly damaged including our own. There was only half a roof left, windows blown in and then it started to rain heavily, water was poring down the stairs, and Grandpa (Arthur) drilled a hole in one of the bedroom floors so that the water could escape into buckets on the ground floor. Grandpa drilled a hole dead centre, and you can guess the rest, straight through the ceiling light, one big sizzle and then a bang - no light, however we coped, we all finished up living sleeping and eating in the one undamaged room for three months until each room was repaired. We could not use the immersion heater, it was out of action for a while, so I used to boil water on the gas cooker, and ladled the hot water into the metal washtub. Jean and Bernard thought it was a lot of fun having a bath in front of a nice fire. I hasten to add Graham being only three months old was bathed in a large bowl, as we did not want to drown the poor little so and so.
Now back to the War. Things got so bad for the Merchant ships bringing food for us from the U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand and other friendly Countries because the Germans knew when the boats were due to come into the harbours and many brave men went to the bottom of the sea in their ships. When the ships did manage to reach our shores calls were sent out to many companies for those who had transport and drivers to gather into the centre of Birmingham and then to drive to Liverpool, Southampton or any port where a ship could land. The unloading of food had to be quick, vans; cars and any other forms of transport were waiting to load up before the Germans started bombing again. Grandpa's (Arthur) van was loaded with margarine; one carton must have fallen off somehow because we and our neighbours were able to cook chips in margarine. It was a lovely treat at the time but we were a bit nervous in case the food officers got to know, so all the wrappings were burned and the margarine melted in the chip pan. We did not tell our children just in case they and their little friends told other children at school.

It was a very frightening time not knowing if we would be alive next day but it was not all sadness. There was a lot of sharing and get togethers with friends and neighbours during those years.

Time was moving towards the invasion to drive the Germans from the Countries they had occupied like France and Belgium. The raids here died down but London and the South of England had to put up with doodlebugs, which caused a lot of terror. No one knew where they would strike and people were again moving out of London because they were very frightened and were catching any train to get out of the terror. Arthur and I decided to take a holiday in Mid Wales which was quiet and safe. We knew someone who owned a caravan and we managed to rent it. It was in a field by Borth (Mid Wales) next to a lovely beach and we all enjoyed it so much and managed to rent it for an extra week. We travelled to Wales by train from Birmingham's New Street Station at three o'clock in the morning as there was only one train a day. Having no petrol for the car (no one was allowed petrol during the war) we ordered a taxi (they were allowed a certain amount) we managed to board the train, it was packed with people travelling from London who were very frightened and thirsty. Lemonade or any kind of soft drinks were unobtainable during the war, so I took two bottles of water with us. I knew the family would be thirsty on the long journey. When I gave my children water to drink the other passengers in the train said they would pay me if I would let them have some water, but I would not hear of it, and I gave them a bottle. As the train pulled up at tiny stations the people were getting off the train into nowhere. I often think of them, it was just peace for them to be away from the terror of the bombing.
We had a lovely two weeks at the caravan, it was July and the weather was lovely. One morning we heard loud rumbles coming from the road a few yards away. We went to see what it was, and saw that it was a large platoon of American tanks practising for the coming invasion of France etc. They waved to us and threw us sweets and chewing gum. We had enough for quite a long time. Two nights later the R A F decided to have a mock air attack right over the beach and field we were in. There were plastic dummy shells dropping all around us, What with defused mines being washed up on the beach and odds and ends our children had plenty of war games to play.
Now I come to invasion day. My brother's son Harry was killed by a shell as he was landing in a tank on French soil, also your Uncle George (Arthur's brother) was badly burned whilst waiting to cross the channel, so he was in hospital until the end of the war. He now lives in London with his wife and family.
I am now moving on. War is over but rationing continued until 1956 what a relief it was to go into the shops without a ration book. We all thought everyone would be looking for jobs but not so, up to the 1960's anyone could walk into a job and if it did not suit them they could give a weeks notice and walk into another one straight away. Labour was very short. Thousands of men came back from the war and decided they were not going to be bus drivers or other jobs they were doing before hand. The authorities had told them they were all heroes, the unenlightened souls expected top jobs, but even in those days you had to have degrees or qualifications in something. The outcome war was millions of coloured immigrants came to this country to work on the buses etc. I am still waiting for a Utopia for all our dear grand-children. One never knows it is said if you wish hard enough it does happen.
It is now fifty-six years since World War Two was declared, all I have written is very true, and my memory is still very vivid having lived through two great wars.
P.S. One incident I forgot to mention was that Grandpa (Arthur) had some petrol left in the tank of the car but no more petrol was allowed, so Grandpa took us for a run as far as Gaydon Airfield, which was being used for the bombers. Jean and Bernard were thrilled to watch the R.A.F. loading their planes with bombs. We did not see the notice in the lane telling motorists to drive and not stop, the security police arrived the car was searched and Arthur had to appear at the local court and was fined 拢1.00.
Written By May Luscombe in 1996

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