大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from Northumberland on behalf of Mrs. Jean Foggin (nee Ray). Mrs. Foggin fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions, and the story has been added to the site with her permission. It is written in the first person.

On 1 September 1939, two days before Britain declared war on Germany and the Second World War began, I was at Gateshead Station with my Mother, Florrie (Florence) Ray (nee Bowe), and all but the eldest of my sisters, Ethel, who had a job in Gateshead, plus Olive and Mary Sheffield, two girls from across the road who were a little older than me. We were being evacuated, Mother, my sister Joyce, brother Bob (Robert), the Sheffield girls and me to Spennymoor while an older sister, Irene, and brother David, to many people more commonly known as Sonny, were sent to Bishop Auckland. Dad, David McDonald Ray, and Ethel stayed at home. On 11 August I had celebrated my eighth birthday.

We heard about the declaration of war on 3 September from the Vicar of St. Paul鈥檚 Church, Spennymoor during Morning Service, which all evacuees had been made to attend although I remember that Bob did not have to do so because he was nursing a broken foot sustained only three days beforehand. We stayed at Spennymoor for only a few weeks before the invasion and bombing threats were recognised as not being as great as had been feared at the outbreak of war and we returned to dear old Gateshead. Bob and Joyce later returned to Spennymoor out of choice.

Back in Gateshead I remember school lessons were held in various private houses throughout the Borough. When I returned to Shipcote School, perhaps towards the end of 1940, possibly early 1941, it was on a part-time basis, mornings one week and afternoons the next. By the time I left Shipcote School to go to the Central School, in 1943, life appeared to be back to normal, more or less. The schools had been open full-time for, perhaps, two years. By then, also, Dad and David (Sonny) were both serving with the Merchant Navy. Ethel joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, later to be attached to the Royal Corps of Signals while Irene had joined the Women鈥檚 Royal Naval Service, the Wrens. Joyce was working at Northumberland Press. Bob had already passed his 鈥淓leven Plus鈥� examination and moved to the Central School, the remnants of which still at Spennymoor had returned to Gateshead in 1942.

Occasionally, nights were spent in the air raid shelter in our back yard. This was of brick construction with a concrete roof, which provided some protection against shrapnel but it would not have withstood a direct hit. I can remember bombs falling on railway goods yards and on New Bridge Street, both at Newcastle, on the Baltic Flour Mill by the River Tyne, and on Saltwell Park in Gateshead. Church Halls and other public buildings were used as ambulance stations and air-raid posts. Each household was issued with a few sand-bags, black-out curtains, stirrup pumps, buckets and tin helmets. Fire watch rotas were posted in the window of our local corner shop run by Mr. Arthur Sheffield and his wife, Florence. After air raids a favourite past-time for us kids was to look for shrapnel in the Park.

Families did not have the luxury of holidays away from Gateshead but all sorts of activities were held or were available at Saltwell Park, to keep us amused and entertained. For example, donkey rides were available and there were lots of concerts and 鈥淒ances on the Green鈥�. Whenever we managed to get down to the coast we would find all of the beaches closed and cordoned off by barbed wire. The public only had access to the links.

Towards the end of 1944, possibly early 1945, the Stephenson Clarke ship Dad was serving on ran aground off the coast of Iceland. The crew was brought ashore by breeches buoy and taken, first, to Reykjavik for treatment before they were returned to the United Kingdom. He later served aboard the Royal Fleet Auxiliary 鈥淩FA Olna鈥�. Although he survived the war, Dad died in 1948 from what I suspect must have been asbestosis having been exposed to asbestos when he worked in the engineering and marine industries. Of course, in those days the dangers presented by exposure to asbestos were either not widely understood or, if they were, they were largely ignored. Dad suffered greatly in the months before his death.

Returning to the War, on 8 May 1945 peace was declared, the war in Europe was over. To celebrate the declaration of peace, beacons and fireworks were lit at Moss Heaps, Wrekenton. The whole thing was repeated in August 1945 when the war with Japan ended and several street parties were held, to celebrate both declarations of peace and the return of men who had been prisoners of war (POW). The only POW I can remember the name of was Mr. Cromarty whose family lived in the top house of our street in Gateshead, Northbourne Street.

We never starved during the War because with Dad and David serving in the Merchant Navy they were entitled to double rations. I recall that their ration books could be used only at the Co-operative Store on Nelson Street, Gateshead.

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