大象传媒

Interview with Patricia 16/12/2004 by Mark

Q Where did you live in 1939?
A New Malden, Surrey

Q How old were you when war broke out?
A Nine years old

Q What are your memories of the announcements at the start of the war?
A There were radio broadcasts of the declaration of the war. News was very necessary in those days for communication purposes.

Q How were you affected by the war?
A My father, an officer in the Royal Engineers, was killed in action in Normandy 1944. The family was very disturbed by this and therefore moved to Cornwall away from the bombing.

Q Have you got any happy memories of the war?
A I was happy on VJ day in Penzance. All the navy battleships gathered in harbour and celebrated by setting off fireworks.

Q Have you got any sad memories from the war?
A I lost my father, also my uncle, who flew a civil aeroplane at St Just (he was shot down) and many friends.

Q Were you evacuated?
A In the end, I was not evacuated. However, at first my mother had intended to send me and my brother to Canada. We were fortunate that she could not bear to part with us, because the liner we would have been on was torpedoed.

Q What was your current occupation at the time?
A I was a school girl.

Q: Do you have any recollections of the air raids?
A I have two memories of the raids.
1: In the first year of the war, my grandmother took me to an air raid shelter made of a Nissen Hut, covered in sandbags, because incendiary bombs were being dropped. When the `All Clear' siren sounded, it became apparent that part of the hut had been damaged and rubbled.

2: I was walking with my mother and brother towards Lands End, when a German aircraft flew very low over us, machine gunning everyone in sight. My mother pulled us into a hedge and laid over us to protect us. We were not hit, but we heard others dying.

Q: Did you ever join the army or travel overseas?
A No, I was too young for that.

Q What are your memories of the end of the war?
A There was much more to eat! Sweets were not rationed anymore which was very pleasurable!

Q Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experiences during the war?
A Yes. The war efforts were very noticeable (e.g. Dig for Victory, Less throwing away, raising money). It became natural to take your gas mask everywhere you went. Secrecy was very important; No-one was allowed to talk about anything they saw, and there was very little gossip at all. This was because of the risk of spies and leakage of information. International Mail was censored.

In a Blackout, there would be voluntary ARP Wardens, who would fine you if any light was visible form your house. Everyone used `Blackout Curtains'. There was no television.

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