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This story was submitted to the People`s War site by Alan Magson of Age Concern Bradford and District on behalf of Peter Hepworth and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site`s terms and conditions.

My father John Hepworth of Thornbury, Bradford, served in the Royal Navy during World War 2. He served on landing craft which were used for transporting tanks. On one trip out of 14 craft that left Southampton, only 7 arrived in the Far East.

All letters home from servicemen were censored, but my mother always knew exactly where they had been posted from.

Before my father left for overseas duty he left a card pinned on the back of the pantry door. This was in the form of kisses — XXXXX`s.

These kisses were a way of letting us know exactly where he was writing from i.e. one kiss or X meant Malta, and so on.

Most letters had lines cut out by the censor, leaving holes in the letters but no kisses — X`s — ever succumbed to the censor`s scissors !

Me, my cousin and my mother once visited my father on shore leave in Southampton in 1943. The landlady of the boarding house told us that the sirens sound every night and when they do we all go into the cellar, where, she added, there was lemonade for the children. My cousin and I could hardly sleep waiting for this event.

The lady also said each night the neighbours stand at their doors watching the raids. My father said “ they won`t tonight when the battleship ( that was in port ) fires its guns, their noise will shake the streets “

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