大象传媒

'This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Jemma Bellingham on behalf of Ann L Clark and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions'

In was born in London in March 1940. My mother was a qualified nurse working at Bethnal Green Hospital and my father was and Instructor in the Army. During the Blitz my mother was not only in the 'thick of it' but travelling across London to visit me in a nursery. This of course had to be paid for and as money sent by my father was dreadfully erratic in arriving there were times when my mother had to borrow from the Matron, which in those days was very embarrasing. Later on, but still during the War my father was stationed in Ireland and my mother moved to take work as a private nurse. Again I was in Foster Care, this time with a family in Belfast, and when i returned to England, it was with a broad Irish brogue! I was later told that when my father came to see my mother, he was only really 'safe' out in the locality when she was by his side. Even at that time the Irish were not predictable in their like or dislike of a man in an English uniform, but did know and like my mother as a local nurse.

Finally my mother and I moved to a small flat in Derby, and lived together for the first time since I was a tiny baby. By this time I was about four years old. She worked as a nurse at Rolls Royce and could often be seen on her bicycle with me on the seat at the back. My mother was a farmers daughter and was happy to be back in her own area near her relatives. In many ways we were a single parent family and had a close bond of affection. No doubt as a youngster I needed this new phase of stability in my life, and was not really aware that for my mother her family unit was not complete while the war continued and my father was still absent for long periods of time.

Unfortunately this was also affecting the bond between my father and myself. He was able to see me rather more frequently but I was coming up to five years and so clearly remember this large stranger in 'funny smelling clothes' (uniform) who made an extra fuss of me and was part of my family.

At the time no one really explained it all to me and although eventually I became very fond of my father that early absence always affected us and it did not help that when he returned permanently all of us were completely disrupted as they both has to start rebuilding their lives from the beginning with very little money. As with countless others those five years were 'wasted' years and very few were just able to pick up where they left off.

Sadly both my parents have died so I am not able to be more precise with dates etc.

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